Orbital demonstration
Study electromagnetic operation under space conditions.
OBA Space Orbital technology demonstrator
OBA Faraday
The first electromagnetic mass driver to operate under space conditions
A mission designed to accelerate small ferromagnetic test payloads and generate measurable evidence under space conditions.
OBA Faraday is developed within the ESA BIC Andalusia incubation programme
Mission snapshot
A mission to generate evidence in orbit
Pulsed power
Test controlled energy delivery for the acceleration event.
Sequencing
Coordinate stages, timing and safety logic.
Measurement
Capture optical, electrical and thermal event data.
The demonstration
What OBA Faraday aims to demonstrate
OBA Faraday aims to execute a controlled electromagnetic acceleration event and record how the accelerator and spacecraft respond. The mission studies energy delivery, sequencing and data acquisition under space conditions.
- Controlled acceleration
- Power and sequencing
- Spacecraft response
- Data recording and downlink
- Electromagnetic compatibility to be verified during integration
Multi-stage acceleration
Pulsed-power delivery
Precision sequencing
In-space measurement
ENGINEERING TARGETS AND MODELLED VALUES
The engineering behind OBA Faraday
These preliminary values support the design process; flight validation remains pending.
Stages
12TARGETTest mass
5 ± 1 gTARGETExit velocity
100 ± 25 m/sTARGETNominal kinetic energy
~25 JMODELLEDPreliminary electrical energy
~200–500 JMODELLEDNominal impulse
~0.5 N·sMODELLEDPreliminary efficiency
5–12%MODELLED
Development status
From development to orbital demonstration
01
Modelling & electromagnetic design
IN DEVELOPMENT
02
Power electronics & control
IN DEVELOPMENT
03
Payload & spacecraft integration
PRELIMINARY · IN PROGRESS
04
Environmental, structural & EMC testing
PLANNED
05
Orbital demonstration
IN PLANNING
Roadmap
From OBA Faraday to future orbital infrastructure
In-orbit demonstration
OBA Faraday
Demonstration of the physical principle and critical subsystems in orbit.
Under development
Third-party vehicle integration
OBA Ampere
An electromagnetic subsystem concept for integration into third-party OTVs and upper stages.
Concept · Requirements and feasibility to be studied
Reusable orbital infrastructure
OBA-1
A long-term architectural context for reusable orbital transport infrastructure, not an operational or validated system.
Long-term architecture
People and ecosystem
Team & Partners
Team
Scientific Advisory Board
Research Centres & Universities
University of Málaga (UMA)
ACETI Research Group - Electric machines dept.
CIEMAT
Electromagnetic performance and material selection.
Universidad de Sevilla
Industrial Partners
Andalucía Aerospace
Visibility, consortium creation, access to calls.
Solarmems Technologies
dhv technology
Indaero
Why it matters
Why OBA Faraday matters
Technical evidence
Generates high-fidelity data on electromagnetic launcher behaviour in space to de-risk future technologies.
European autonomy
Advances Europe’s capability to develop and operate critical infrastructure technologies independently.
Industrial capability
Builds the skills, infrastructure and supply chain needed for responsible orbital technology development.
Faraday evidence is intended to support future OBA developments in orbital mobility, logistics and responsible end-of-life operations.
Invest in what’s next
Advance OBA Faraday’s next milestones
Help us take the next step towards orbital demonstration and a scalable future for in-space infrastructure.
Public brief
Download the OBA Faraday brief
Explore the mission, engineering targets, development status and path towards OBA Ampere.
- Mission overview
- Engineering targets
- Development status
- Path towards OBA Ampere
OBA FARADAYPUBLIC BRIEF
Want to speak with the team? Contact.