Bordeaux, 1 September 2026 - Space Cargo Unlimited (Space Cargo) which develops autonomous space manufacturing platforms and mission services for commercial microgravity research and manufacturing has announced a strategic investment in Novespace, Europe's leading provider of parabolic flight services and a subsidiary of CNES. The investment makes Space Cargo a shareholder alongside CNES, expanding the company's portfolio of microgravity access points and reinforcing its long-term vision to build an integrated fleet supporting research, technolog development, manufacturing and return-to-Earth operations.

At the centre of this strategy is BentoBox, Space Cargo’s modular Space Factory platform, which enables customers to access microgravity across multiple vehicles and mission profiles. The addition of Novespace brings parabolic flight into a wider offering alongside future orbital manufacturing and return-to-Earth capabilities, giving customers greater flexibility to select the right platform for each stage of product development.

Novespace's Airbus A310 contains the world’s largest experimental area dedicated to weightlessness and lunar-gravity research.

The move comes at a pivotal moment for Europe's space sector as governments and industry prepare for a future beyond the International Space Station, where commercial providers will play an increasingly important role in supporting research, manufacturing and human spaceflight. As commercial activity in low Earth orbit continues to evolve, complementary platforms will become increasingly important in providing more flexible and repeatable access to microgravity for research, manufacturing and future commercial missions.

Thomas Pesquet, CEO of Novespace and Astronaut with Nicolas Gaume, Founder and CEO, Space Cargo Unlimited at Novespace Headquarters in Bordeaux

Nicolas Gaume, Co-founder and CEO of Space Cargo, said:

Europe has world-class science, engineering and innovation. The next challenge is giving researchers and businesses access to the right infrastructure to turn ideas into products. By investing in Novespace, we're strengthening that journey from early microgravity research through to future commercial manufacturing in orbit.

For more than 35 years, Novespace, a subsidiary of CNES, has enabled researchers, technology developers and astronauts to access short-duration microgravity through parabolic flight campaigns.

Renowned for its scientific rigour and leadership in microgravity research, the company has built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality research flights that support technology development, scientific discovery and mission preparation. These flights provide an important environment for testing and validating technologies before they progress to longer-duration orbital missions, making Novespace a natural addition to Space Cargo Unlimited's growing fleet of complementary microgravity platforms.

Thomas Pesquet, CEO of Novespace, added:

Parabolic flight sits at the crossroads of extreme aviation and cutting-edge space research. What Novespace has achieved so far is nothing short of remarkable, establishing itself as the world leader in its field. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this team, and there is nowhere else I would rather be today… except perhaps in space! We are delighted to welcome SCU as a shareholder, helping us open the door to new markets and new customers. With the extraordinary momentum we are seeing today in space exploration and research, the possibilities ahead are limitless.

As part of the investment, Nicolas Gaume will join the Novespace Board, strengthening collaboration between the two organisations as they continue to develop a more integrated commercial microgravity offering.

The investment marks another milestone in Space Cargo's wider Space Factory fleet strategy. By bringing Europe's leading parabolic flight capability together with orbital manufacturing and future return-to-Earth missions, the company is building a more flexible and repeatable infrastructure for research, product development and manufacturing, supporting the next generation of commercial activity in low Earth orbit.

About Space Cargo Unlimited

Space Cargo Unlimited is a European space company pioneering commercial in-space manufacturing. Founded to make microgravity a tool for humanity, Space Cargo Unlimited develops technologies and mission services that enable researchers, institutions and industry customers to develop and manufacture high-value products in space.

Its flagship BentoBox platform provides a standardized, autonomous factory for in-space experimentation and production, supported by end-to-end mission services from payload preparation and integration through launch, in-orbit operations and return. By deploying its standardized platform across multiple space vehicles, Space Cargo Unlimited is creating a scalable, fleet-based model for commercial in-space manufacturing and helping accelerate the commercialization of the low Earth orbit economy.

About Novespace 

A subsidiary of CNES, Novespace is Europe’s leading operator of scientific and commercial parabolic flights, based at Bordeaux Airport, France.

Operating an Airbus A310 featuring the world’s largest experimental area dedicated to weightlessness and lunar gravity, Novespace provides a unique microgravity research environment.

Its engineering teams support scientific experiments throughout the entire development cycle, from design and testing to validation, preparation and flight operations.

Novespace also offers weightlessness discovery flights to the public and to commercial and institutional partners, including most recently flights conducted as part of various “Astronaut for a Day” initiatives organized by several European countries for high school students.