LEONARD-1 - First Italian Rocket Sounding
The LEONARD-1 sounding rocket is a next-generation, suborbital launch vehicle capable of flying parabolic trajectories up to 150 km in altitude while carrying payloads of up to 30 kg. Engineered for maximum reliability and competitive costs, LEONARD-1 offers rapid turnaround and stable flight profiles, making it ideal for delivering scientific experiments, small satellites, and sensor packages to the edge of space.
LEONARD-1 is our state-of-the-art sounding rocket designed to perform suborbital missions on parabolic trajectories reaching 150 km above the Earth’s surface. With a payload capacity of up to 30 kg, it is perfectly suited for high-altitude scientific experiments, technology demonstrations, and the deployment of compact nanosatellite prototypes.
Optimized Performance: Powered by a high-thrust propulsion system and advanced avionics, LEONARD-1 accelerates to the Kármán line within minutes, generating repeatable and stable flight paths. Its guidance algorithms ensure precise attitude control and trajectory shaping, allowing researchers to target specific altitude windows for microgravity experiments.
Modular, Configurable Design: The rocket features interchangeable first and second stages, enabling flexible mission configurations tailored to different payload shapes and masses (up to 30 kg). Quick-swap stage adapters and standardized interfaces reduce integration time and cost, granting customers a streamlined “plug-and-fly” experience.
Rapid Development & Cost Efficiency: Built around a lean architecture and off-the-shelf, high-quality components, LEONARD-1 minimizes both production lead times and integration overhead. Our in-house manufacturing and assembly processes drive down unit costs, making suborbital access accessible to universities, research labs, and startups.
Testbed for Innovation: As a dedicated suborbital platform, LEONARD-1 provides an invaluable test environment for emerging space technologies—high-altitude sensors, prototype propulsion systems, miniaturized communication payloads, and more. Customers can validate hardware in a true near-space environment at a fraction of the cost of orbital launches.
Scalable & Reproducible: From its inception, LEONARD-1 has been engineered for series production. As demand for suborbital services grows, our manufacturing and supply chain can quickly scale to deliver multiple rockets per year, improving margins and ensuring timely availability for scheduled campaigns.
Growing Market Alignment: The suborbital segment is expanding rapidly, driven by research institutions, defense agencies, and commercial ventures seeking low-cost, high-frequency access to the edge of space. LEONARD-1’s blend of reliability, payload capacity (30 kg), and competitive pricing positions it as a leading solution in Europe’s New Space ecosystem.
Investing in LEONARD-1 means partnering with a project that delivers fast time-to-flight, budget-friendly operations, and unparalleled access to suborbital altitudes. By supporting our program, you help establish LEONARD-1 as the premier suborbital launch vehicle in Europe and accelerate the development of innovative payloads for scientific, educational, and commercial applications.
How It Works
The LEONARD-1 sounding rocket is a two-stage vehicle powered by solid-propellant motors based on potassium perchlorate and phenolic resin binders. Its airframe combines aerospace-grade aluminum and carbon-composite structures, with critical brackets and fittings produced via 3D printing for optimized strength-to-weight performance. On a parabolic trajectory, LEONARD-1 can deliver up to 30 kg of payload into a suborbital LEO-like environment—and both first and second stages are recovered for rapid refurbishment and reuse.
These rockets feature exceptionally low manufacturing and operational costs, as well as minimal environmental impact, making suborbital access to near-space research far more affordable for research institutions and universities seeking to flight-test experiments or deploy small payloads.
