Spaceplane Without a Spaceport: Czech Company Introduces NEBESA Suborbital Flight Platform

Czech company Nebesa Aerospace has presented its first development, the NEBESA suborbital flight platform, designed for testing, research, and defense missions.

Nebesa Aerospace representative Vojtěch Kubuš spoke to Militarnyi about the platform at the Future Forces Forum in Prague.

The platform features a tailless aerodynamic configuration with an elongated delta wing. Two vertical fins are mounted on the wing panels, and a rocket engine exhaust nozzle is located at the rear.

The platform can reach an altitude of 110 km and a speed of Mach 3.5 (3,700–4,300 km/h). Its maximum modular payload capacity is 25 kg.

The company is also developing a jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle with a range of 1,000 km, a speed of 800 km/h and a payload capacity of 80 kg.

Potential applications for the suborbital platform include microgravity research; testing materials, aerodynamics and avionics; reconnaissance and surveillance; and serving as a target for testing air defense, detection, and tracking systems.

The platform is powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine with a maximum thrust of 9 kN. Its development involves metal 3D printing, computer modeling and AI algorithms.

The NEBESA can take off and land at conventional airfields or on road sections, eliminating the need for a spaceport.

“We wanted to stand out among other drone manufacturers and present our vision of independent access to space. The main advantage of this platform is that you don’t need a spaceport,” Kubuš emphasized.

The company is currently seeking international partners and its first customers to launch serial production and testing of its spacecraft.