French orbital rockets to launch from Arnhem Space Centre Australia in 2026

ADELAIDE, Australia, Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading French rocket company, Sirius Space Services (Sirius), has signed with Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) for a multi-year, multi-launch contract from the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC) during World Space Business Week conference in Paris, France overnight.

The agreement will see Sirius become a 'Resident Launcher' at the spaceport from 2025, taking up their own Space Launch Complex (SLC) for the term of their contract.

The campaign will begin with the development and test flights of SIRIUS 1 in 2026 followed by launches of the larger SIRIUS 13 (800kg payload capacity) in 2027.

"I'm delighted to announce this contract with Sirius today," said ELA's CEO Michael Jones. "Sirius will become the second resident launcher at the Arnhem Space Centre which means they will leverage ELA's advanced commercial spaceport concept, and our full suite of launch services."

The flexibility to access a range of orbits, including medium and low inclination, SSO and equatorial, as well as ELA's extensive launch services were key to the decision by Sirius.

"It was key for Sirius to have the ability to access unique orbit options to service their clients and we are probably the only place on the planet that could provide all their requirements," said Jones.

Sirius has selected Space Launch Complex No.3 or 'Le Mans'. The Le Mans SLC will have a dedicated 45m x 26m x 12m high Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) with ISO 8 vertical payload integration clean room with its own full span, 20T gantry crane. Le Mans SLC also has two ASC Advanced Launch Pads (ASCALPâ„¢) where one will be fully developed with the ability to accommodate Sirius' three variants of rocket, SIRIUS 1, SIRIUS 13 and, in future, the large 4 booster SIRIUS 15 variant. The other will be part-developed as a back-up.

The agreement marks the second 'Resident Launcher' contract for ELA.

"We are currently in the final stages of negotiation with three more launchers about our resident launch contracts, so our remaining orbital complexes are filling fast," said Jones.

François Maroquene-Froissart, Co-founder & CTO of Sirius Space Services said, "Our decision to select ELA was driven by their advanced commercial spaceport concept, which includes state-of-the-art infrastructure, innovative commercial offerings, and exceptional customer service and support. ELA's commitment to safety, operational excellence, and service aligns with our mission to deliver agile and competitive launch solutions to our global clientele," he said.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

French orbital rockets to launch from Arnhem Space Centre Australia in 2026

GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, GAC's independently developed Quark E-Drive power domain control system has achieved the world's first dual certification for deeply integrated ASIL D functional safety and information security, accredited by DAkkS, Germany's national accreditation body. The certification was evaluated and issued by SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services Co., Ltd. (SGS), a globally recognized certification authority.

ISO 26262 is the internationally recognized core standard for automotive functional safety. Within this framework, ASIL D represents the highest automotive safety integrity level, requiring near-zero tolerance for safety-critical failures. Achieving an ASIL D certification accredited by DAkkS signifies that the certified product meets the highest globally accepted standards for automotive safety.

The certified Quark E-Drive power domain control system has been in production use since February 2025, and is now deployed across multiple models under GAC's brands - HYPTEC and AION. As the industry's first electric drive power domain system based on deep integration using a single main control chip, the solution significantly reduces chip count, minimizes risks associated with chip-level failures, and boosts motor controller efficiency to as high as 99.9%. The certification confirms that GAC has completed the system's full product development lifecycle in strict compliance with ISO 26262:2018 functional safety and ISO/SAE 21434:2021 information security standards.

Throughout the project, GAC Technology Research Center worked closely with SGS experts, strengthening safety design across all development phases while ensuring engineering feasibility and an optimal user experience.

Zhao Hui, Vice President of SGS China, commented: "The successful certification highlights GAC's strong team and robust development systems. We are pleased to support the safety of the Quark E-Drive and look forward to closer collaboration."

This milestone represents a major breakthrough for GAC in e-drive safety and sets a new global benchmark for the intelligent electric vehicle industry.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

GAC's Quark Electric Drive Achieves the World's First DAkkS ASIL D Functional Safety and Information Security Dual Certification