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• Hypersonic testing

• On-orbit computing

• In-space manufacturing

The startup has also signed multiple partnerships with U.S. government organizations exploring reusable spacecraft technologies.

Development Milestones and Testing Tools

To support development, Lux Aeterna has created internal tools and testing systems designed to accelerate engineering and customer integration.

One platform combines payload requirements with vehicle performance modeling, allowing potential clients to evaluate mission possibilities early in the process.

“This was a pivotal factor that enabled us to secure customer commitments,” Taylor said.

The company has also built a simulation and testing system allowing engineers to run flight software and rehearse mission scenarios using spacecraft hardware.

That hardware includes the reusable heat shield material currently being developed in-house.

During reentry, autonomous flight software and a chemical propulsion system from an undisclosed supplier will guide Delphi-1 safely back to Earth.

A New Model for Satellites

Unlike traditional capsule-style reentry vehicles — where heat shields are simply external protection — Delphi-1 integrates its heat shield directly into the spacecraft’s structure.

That design allows the vehicle to operate like a conventional satellite in orbit, then return to Earth for recovery and refurbishment.

The concept could unlock new possibilities in a growing market for short-duration space missions and for retrieving hardware from orbit.

Even as reusable rockets have lowered the cost of reaching space, most satellites today still follow a “launch-and-burn” lifecycle, eventually burning up in the atmosphere.

Taylor, who previously worked on satellite manufacturing at both SpaceX and Amazon, believes reusable spacecraft could fundamentally reshape that model.

The result, he said, would be lower costs, improved sustainability and greater mission flexibility.

Future Missions Already in Planning

Lux Aeterna has signed an agreement with Southern Launch to land the spacecraft at the Koonibba Test Range.

That deal also outlines plans for the spacecraft’s first reuse mission in 2028.

Taylor said interest from potential customers for the follow-up flight is already growing, though he declined to provide further details.

Expanding Team and Investor Backing

The startup currently employs 14 people and plans to grow to about 25 employees before the Delphi-1 demonstration mission.

Alongside Konvoy, several investors participated in the seed round, including: