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T-Minus Engineering

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T-Minus Engineering
TypePrivate company
IndustryAerospace
Founded2011
FoundersRoel Eerkens, Mark Uitendaal, Hein Olthof and Eric Smit
HeadquartersDelft, Netherlands
Websitehttps://www.t-minus.nl/

T-Minus Engineering is a Dutch aerospace company headquartered in Delft, specializing in suborbital sounding rockets. Founded in 2011, the company offers commercial suborbital platforms for scientific research, commercial applications, and national security solutions.[1]

They were ranked the 5th Top European Launch Company by European Spaceflight of 2025.[2]

History

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T-Minus Engineering was founded in 2011 in Delft by Roel Eerkens, Mark Uitendaal, Hein Olthof and Eric Smit, with the objective of developing high-quality suborbital rockets at an affordable cost.

Projects

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CanSat Launcher

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The launcher stands at 3.17 metres and can deploy 6 CanSats at an altitude in an excess of 1 kilometre.[3]

DART

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The DART sounding rocket stands at 3.5 metres and can reach a maximum altitude of 200 kilometres.[4] It features a payload compartment with maximum payload volume of 30 x 250 mm,[3] and is capable of carrying payloads of up to 1.5 - 2 kilograms in its glass fibre hull payload compartment.[5]

The DART was first launched on 19 September 2020 from Koonibba Rocket Range in South Australia, reaching an altitude of 85km.[6][7] The DART was unsuccessfully launched from Andøya, Norway on 3 October 2021, with failure to separate the payload.[8] The DART was unsuccessfully launched from Koonibba Rocket Range on 29 August, failing to reach target altitude.[9][10][11] The DART was launched from Esrange Space Center in February 2024, but after successful liftoff an anomaly occurred resulting in the early deployment of the mission’s payload.[12] A second launch occurred from Esrange Space Center in April 2025, and was successful.[5]

A future launch from SUAS Aerospace in Ireland is planned.[4][2]

Kingfisher

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The Kingfisher rocket was successfully launched from MOD Hebrides Range in October 2022, reaching 185km.[13][14]

Barracuda

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Unveiled in 2022 with a 200mm diameter solid rocket motor, the Barracuda was designed to be capable of carrying payloads to a 200km apogee.[15] The completed sounding rocket is a single-stage, solid fuel suborbital vehicle that stands approximately 4 metres tall. It features a payload compartment measuring 1000 millimetres, and can carry payloads of up to 40 kilograms to altitudes reaching 120 kilometres.[16]

Prior to April 2025, T-Minus stated that they had not performed any launches for civil applications with the Barracuda. In June 2025, Maritime Launch Services claimed that the Barracuda had been launched many times before outside of North America.[16] The Barracuda launched from Spaceport Nova Scotia in November 2025 and June 2026. In both launches, after successful liftoff the Barracuda suffered anomalies late in the boost phase and failed to reach the Karman-line.[17]

Another launch from Spaceport Nova Scotia is expected in fall 2026.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "About us". T-Minus Engineering. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  2. ^ a b Andrew, Parsonson (6 January 2026). "Top European Launch Companies of 2025". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Space". T-Minus Engineering. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  4. ^ a b Andrew, Parsonson (24 October 2026). "SUAS Partners with T-Minus for Ireland's First Commercial Rocket Launch". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Second launch for the DART-rocket". SSC Space. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  6. ^ Gabriel, Dominguez (21 September 2020). "Australia launches dart rocket carrying prototype radio frequency receiver for RAAF". Janes. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  7. ^ "After years of hard work, our DART rocket will take its first flight". T-Minus Engineering. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2026 – via Linkedin.
  8. ^ "On the 3th of October at Andøya Space Norway, T-Minus Engineering launched a T-Minus DART rocket". T-Minus Engineering. November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021 – via Linkedin.
  9. ^ "Out To Launch Newsletter – August". Southern Launch. September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Southern Launch continues to expand capabilities at Koonibba Test Range with the support of the Koonibba Aboriginal community". Southern Launch. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  11. ^ "TED3 VE2NOM Mission Overview" (PDF). Southern Launch. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  12. ^ Andrew, Parsonson (12 February 2024). "Cold Weather Proves Challenging for T-Minus Launch Campaign". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  13. ^ T-Minus Engineering launches Kingfisher rocket at MOD Hebrides Range October 2022. T-Minus Engineering. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "T-Minus launches rockets into space over the Atlantic". T-Minus Engineering. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022 – via LinkedIn.
  15. ^ "Barracuda rocket at ESA PAC symposium". T-Minus Engineering. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  16. ^ a b "Maritime Launch and T-Minus Engineering Announce Plans for Hypersonic Suborbital Launches from Spaceport Nova Scotia". Maritime Launch. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  17. ^ Andrew, Parsonson (15 June 2026). "T-Minus Barracuda Suffers Anomaly After Launch from Nova Scotia". European Spaceflight. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  18. ^ Marc, Boucher (10 June 2026). "T-Minus Engineering test rocket launches but fails to reach targeted altitude at Spaceport Nova Scotia". SpaceQ. Retrieved 17 June 2026.