POLARIS: Reusable Spaceplanes for Flexible Access to Space

POLARIS: Reusable Spaceplanes for Flexible Access to Space

Reaching space has traditionally required vertically launched rockets, complex ground infrastructure, and high operational costs. Polaris Raumflugzeuge is pursuing a different approach: combining aircraft and rocket technologies into reusable spaceplanes that take off and land horizontally from conventional runways. The concept aims to bridge aviation and spaceflight, enabling more flexible and responsive mission profiles. By integrating launch and return into a single vehicle architecture, the company is working toward systems that can support both orbital and suborbital operations with increased operational efficiency. This approach could allow for more adaptable launch planning, reduced reliance on fixed launch sites, and improved turnaround times between missions, particularly in scenarios that require rapid deployment or repeated access to space.

Technology and Product

Instead of separating launch vehicles and aircraft, Polaris develops systems that combine both domains into a unified platform. Its spaceplanes are designed to operate as reusable vehicles capable of transporting payloads into orbit or conducting hypersonic missions. A central technological element is the use of Aerospike rocket engines, which are designed to adapt their efficiency across different altitudes by compensating for changing ambient pressure conditions. The company is currently advancing its Aurora spaceplane, a multi-purpose vehicle concept intended for orbital payload delivery as well as suborbital missions. In parallel, Polaris is testing smaller demonstrator vehicles to validate flight dynamics and propulsion technologies under real conditions. These systems are designed to take off from standard runways, combining jet propulsion and rocket engines within a single architecture.

Technology demonstrators validate flight dynamics and propulsion under real conditions. (© POLARIS Raumflugzeuge)

Industrial Fit and Applications

Polaris’ approach is particularly relevant in scenarios where flexibility, responsiveness, and reusability are key operational factors. In space transportation, horizontal take-off systems could reduce dependency on dedicated launch sites and enable more frequent missions. For defence and reconnaissance, hypersonic spaceplanes offer the ability to deploy payloads or conduct observation missions at very high speeds and altitudes. Additional applications include rapid satellite deployment, and research missions in hypersonic regimes. Compared to conventional launch systems, such platforms are intended to support more dynamic mission planning and shorter turnaround times between flights.

POLARIS outlines a vision of a fully reusable heavy orbital spaceplane, aiming for substantial reductions

in launch costs compared to traditional rockets. (© POLARIS Raumflugzeuge)

Founding Team

Polaris Raumflugzeuge was founded in 2019 by Alexander Kopp (CEO) as a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), where he previously worked as a systems engineer. The company is based in Bremen and has grown into a multidisciplinary team focused on reusable spaceplane development and advanced propulsion systems.