Exolaunch

Exolaunch is a Berlin-headquartered commercial launch integrator and separation hardware manufacturer, founded in 2010 by engineers from the Technische Universitaet Berlin Department of Space Technology.^[1] The company holds GmbH legal status and operates additional offices in the United States, France, and Japan.

Exolaunch occupies a hybrid position in the smallsat supply chain: it acts simultaneously as a launch services broker - contracting rideshare slots from launch vehicle operators and reselling them to satellite customers - and as a manufacturer of its own deployment hardware, including the CarboNIX and Quadro families of separation systems and the EXOpod family of CubeSat deployers.^[2][3]

Microsatellite Separation Systems

The CarboNIX separation system, space-qualified in 2019, is designed for microsatellites up to 500 kg, with a low-shock spring-pusher mechanism and tip-off rates below 1 deg/s. Available sizes span 8 to 24 inches. CarboNIX NEO is a scaled variant targeting payloads above 1000 kg, with sizes from 8 to 38.81 inches, available as an ITAR-free product.^[2][1]

The Quadro family addresses larger four-point separation requirements. Quadro Arrow covers payloads up to 250 kg and is compatible with the SpaceX Rideshare plate interface; it received the Innovation in Space award at the 2023 European Space Forum and achieved its first flight on Transporter-13 in March 2025. Quadro Versa scales from a 24 x 24 inch baseline to 40 x 40 inches or larger and targets payloads up to 1000 kg.^[4][5]

CubeSat Deployers

The EXOpod family supports CubeSats from the standard form factor through extended configurations. EXOpod Nova accommodates 6U, 8U, 12U, and 16U form factors and accepts up to 400% additional lateral protrusion volume and 30% more mass compared with standard CubeSat dimensions; it provided flight heritage on the Intuitive Machines IM-2 lunar rideshare in February 2025.^[6] EXOpod AIR is an ultra-lightweight deployer at 6.5 kg, optimised for small launch vehicles. Legacy EXOpod 12U and 16U variants hold flight heritage from 2019.^[3]

Multi-Satellite Adapters and Sequencers

For cluster deployments, Exolaunch offers the EXOtube universal modular adapter supporting payloads up to 1000 kg, the EXOport multi-satellite adapter with ESPA-compatible and SpaceX Dispenser Ring port configurations, and the EXObox deployment sequencer managing release sequences for clusters of up to 50 satellites.^[1]

Mission Services

On the launch services side, Exolaunch has integrated satellites on every SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission to date and secured a multi-launch framework agreement with SpaceX extending capacity through 2028.^[7] The mission management service bundle covers pre-launch integration documentation, regulatory liaison, insurance coordination, and on-orbit handover support. By May 2026 the company had completed 47 missions and deployed over 520 satellites.^[8][9]

Customers include government agencies (NASA, ESA, DLR, CNES, UNOOSA), defence research institutions, and commercial operators including Planet Labs, Spire Global, ICEYE, Synspective, and Pixxel. A EUR 18M German Space Agency (DLR) contract awarded in January 2024 covers launch brokerage, integration, and technical guidance for small satellite developers under the German Small Satellite Initiative.^[10]

Leadership transitioned in August 2024 when founder Dmitriy Sternharz moved from CEO to President, handing the CEO role to Robert W. Sproles, who joined from Spire Global.^[11]