MaiaSpace and RIDE! partner to expand launch options for small satellites

MaiaSpace has signed a commercial agreement with launch services company RIDE!, enabling compatible auxiliary payloads to fly alongside primary missions on the Maia launcher when mission requirements allow.

The agreement adds MaiaSpace to the launch options available through RIDE!, which provides mission management services for satellite operators and manufacturers and works with more than 35 launch providers across the United States, Europe, India and China.

Under the partnership, RIDE! will be able to match small satellite missions with available capacity on MaiaSpace launches. The arrangement complements MaiaSpace’s direct launch offering and is intended to make use of opportunities for auxiliary payloads on already planned dedicated missions.

Maia is designed to carry up to 4,000 kg to Low Earth Orbit, depending on the launcher configuration, orbital inclination and use of the optional Colibri kick-stage. The launcher will operate from the Guiana Space Centre and is being developed with both reusable and expendable configurations.

The agreement with RIDE! is MaiaSpace’s fifth commercial contract secured in the past 15 months as the company works towards Maia’s inaugural orbital flight.

RIDE!, founded in 2020 and based in Paris, provides end-to-end launch mission management for satellite operators and manufacturers, coordinating missions for customers in more than 50 countries.