A joint venture led by a French company announced the development of a small, innovative, low-cost rocket that, somewhat humorously, was given the name "Baguette One". The project, which received funding from the French government, aims to demonstrate a new type of rocket engine and launch small satellites into Earth orbit. Perplexity helped us learn about the project.
The group, which includes HyPrSpace with about 35 employees, along with Italian defense company Leonardo, French information technology company Thales and German-Spanish-French company CT Engineering, announced yesterday that it has received financial assistance from the government fund France 2030, which invests in technological innovation projects. The amount of the grant was not disclosed, but the newspaper Le Letter estimated it at €21 million – about 60% of the project's estimated cost of €35 million.
The missile with the mischievous name, which is a kind of salute to the country from which the idea and funding comes from, is supposed to be the first in the world to be powered by hybrid technology, which will combine solid and liquid fuel to enjoy the advantages of the two missile refueling methods commonly used today, and save the need for a turbo pump, which will reduce launch costs and will also be more environmentally friendly. It is scheduled to take off for the first time in early 2023 – that is, in a little more than two years – and will be able to bring small satellites weighing up to 250 kg into orbit around the Earth.
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