SCU Partners With ATMOS for Multiple BENTOBOX Missions

During the last NewSpace Europe Conference, Space Cargo Unlimited (SCU) and ATMOS Space Cargo GmbH announced their partnership to carry out seven commercial missions to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) from late 2025 to 2027.

Using a SpaceX rideshare mission, SCU will send to LEO the BENTOBOX, its fully autonomous research and factory platform capable of hosting over 100 kg of payload, which will return to Earth on PHEONIX, ATMOS’ inflatable re-entry capsule.

“With BENTOBOX, we’re providing the largest and most versatile platform of its kind. Together with ATMOS, we’re ensuring that space is no longer a limiting factor for research and innovation.”

— Nicolas Gaume, CEO of SCU

Nicolas Gaume (left), and Sebastian Klaus (right) signed the partnership between SCU and ATMOS during the NewSpace Europe Conference in Luxemburg. Credits: SCU, ATMOS. — *Nicolas Gaume (left), and Sebastian Klaus (right) signed the partnership between SCU and ATMOS during the NewSpace Europe Conference in Luxemburg. Credits: SCU, ATMOS*

“By combining BENTOBOX with our PHOENIX re-entry capsule, we can provide a full-service solution to customers, from payload development & integration to safe return and recovery. This partnership creates a powerful European offering for space-based research and manufacturing.”

— Sebastian Klaus, CEO of ATMOS

BENTOBOX: an orbital platform serving a menu of activities

Inspired by the Japanese lunch box known as bento, SCU’s BENTOBOX is a modular structural support platform, capable of hosting all kinds of research and manufacturing payloads. Its customizable infrastructure provides continuous power for active devices, pressurized and unpressurized environments, temperature control, and vibration-canceling technology.

A rendering of Space Cargo Unlimited BENTOBOX, its innovative space factory. Credits: SCU. — *A rendering of Space Cargo Unlimited BENTOBOX, its innovative space factory. Credits: SCU*

BENTOBOX operates with full autonomy, avoiding all the complexity linked to human presence, unlike the other famous microgravity laboratory, the International Space Station (ISS). The orbital platform has been designed to avoid the human factor and all the difficulties SCU encountered scaling up with ISS missions.

This innovative approach allows SCU’s customers to exploit the LEO microgravity environment without worrying about the harsh conditions of space travel. The first commercial mission in partnership with ATMOS is already booked at 80% and scheduled for late 2025. It will be preceded by its maiden test flight at an unofficial date in 2025, followed by the additional six missions of the agreement with ATMOS.

For the long term, SCU is working on a reusable spaceplane named REV-1 in collaboration with Thales Alenia Space. BENTOBOX will be its core payload, providing a ground-breaking space factory to deliver the company promise of “fly soon, fly safe, fly back”.

PHEONIX: the inflatable capsule gliding through the flames of orbital re-entry

Defined as an Inflatable Atmospheric Decelerator (IAD), ATMOS’s PHOENIX capsule allows a payload to survive the heat generated by atmospheric re-entry from LEO, and land safely back on Earth. It acts as a heat shield and a high-speed parachute, without requiring a propulsive system and fuel.

The capsule, which can fly in LEO for over three months, is made of lightweight, strong, and high-temperature-resistant material. The re-entry heat-exposed surface is covered with Reusable radiatively cooled Ceramic Matrix Composite.

Inflated PHEONIX capsule in LEO, an artistic render. Credits: ATMOS. — *Inflated PHEONIX capsule in LEO, an artistic render. Credits: ATMOS*

This technology can enable a safe re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere for many devices, even small launchers, rocket stages, and satellites.

In February 2024, the company announced that it had extended its initial seed financing round of €4M by an additional €1.3M, and to be on track for the PHEONIX prototype construction, paving the way to the latest joint announcement with SCU.

_{Cover image credits: ATMOS}