Technology takes flight Scottish Space Company Takes Off Thanks to German Partnership

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Aurora Avionics technology selected for German research rocket mission.

A leading Scottish space company is gaining a foothold in the European aerospace sector after successfully integrating its technology into a German research rocket system for an initial test flight.

Engineers from Scotland-based Aurora Avionics travelled to the German Aerospace Center (DLR) site near Munich (Germany) to integrate their PF1 onboard computer system into the MAPHEUS® sounding rocket, which serves as a key platform for experiments in materials physics and life sciences under microgravity conditions.

As part of DLR’s sounding rocket programme—Germany’s national research and technology organisation for aeronautics and space—the MAPHEUS® rocket launches annually. By reaching altitudes of up to 300 kilometres (approx. 186 miles), the launch creates the conditions required to conduct various scientific experiments on board.

In preparation for the upcoming launch, Aurora Avionics worked closely with DLR’s Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) team to ensure that all hardware—including the camera, service module and additional equipment—of Aurora Avionics’ first experimental prototype was installed and tested within a single day.

Myles Bax, Commercial Lead at Aurora Avionics, said: "It is an exciting moment to see our technology integrated into a major German research system—not only for our company, but for the entire Scottish space sector.

"As we continue to expand our presence in Europe through a growing number of partnerships, opportunities like this give us the chance to demonstrate the capabilities of our technology on the international stage."

Aurora Avionics’ successfully integrated system will now form a key part of the payload for the upcoming MAPHEUS®-17 mission, which is scheduled to launch from Esrange in Sweden in October this year.

Dorian Hargarten, Head of the MORABA Department at DLR, said: "Thanks to the close cooperation between our engineering teams, we were able to complete the integration and testing process very efficiently. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Aurora Avionics as we prepare for the MAPHEUS®-17 launch and to seeing how the system performs during its first test under real flight conditions."

This partnership represents an important milestone for Aurora Avionics: the company’s technology is now part of the payload of a sounding rocket, demonstrating its functionality in the demanding environment of a rocket launch.

Oren Smith-Carpenter, CEO of Aurora Avionics, said: "It is a significant moment to see our system successfully integrated into a complex research rocket. The speed with which we were able to complete the integration demonstrates our deep understanding of DLR systems as well as the close cooperation between the two engineering teams.

"Participating in a major European research mission gives us the opportunity to test the capabilities of our technology under real launch conditions and demonstrate our expertise on the international stage.

"We look forward to working with DLR as part of the preparations for the launch in October to ensure that our technology contributes to this important launch."

This partnership marks a milestone for Aurora Avionics as the company continues to record steady growth in Europe: last year, it secured a £525,000 contract with Spanish company Pangea Propulsion and recently agreed a partnership with French company Alpha Impulsion.

Aurora Avionics is at the forefront of developing future space launch missions, providing state-of-the-art, universal avionics systems that are regarded as the most efficient and cost-effective solutions on the market. During launch preparations, its engineers will continue to provide their technical expertise and support to ensure that the system is fully capable of meeting the requirements of the upcoming mission.