Dawn Aerospace to Provide Refueling-Ready Propulsion for Netherlands' PAMI-1 Sovereign Satellite
Image Credit: Blue Canyon Technologies
Bremen, Germany – 18th November 2025 — Dawn Aerospace announced today it has been selected to provide its SatDrive propulsion system for the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force's flagship PAMI-1 mission. Critically, the propulsion system will be equipped with Dawn’s Docking and Fluid Transfer (DFT) port, providing the Netherlands with its first sovereign satellite capable of being serviced and refueled in orbit.
The Armed Forces of the Netherlands are rapidly expanding their space capabilities. PAMI-1 provides a significant step towards establishing the Dutch capability to gather sovereign intelligence from space. The capability will also contribute to further strengthening international cooperations within NATO, EU and others. The satellite, PAMI-1, will support intelligence gathering for the Netherlands by offering a sovereign capability to monitor earth from space with high resolution instruments. PAMI-1 will also demonstrate laser satellite communication technology that provides fast and secure transfer of information, back to a ground station as well as to other satellites.
The PAMI-1 mission is managed is the first of six satellites that form a constellation in Low Earth Orbit, with plans for further expansion.
“Space is critical for national security, and the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force is greatly expanding their capabilities. We are honored to contribute to their flagship PAMI program,” said Jeroen Wink, co-founder and Director of Dawn Aerospace. “It is fantastic to see the Netherlands not just building sovereign space capability, but taking tangible, practical steps towards in-space servicing by incorporating this refueling-ready technology from day one.”
About Dawn Aerospace
Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company developing both refuellable satellite propulsion and the fastest, highest-flying spaceplane ever to take off from a runway. With a 70% European customer base, Dawn’s propulsion systems are already operating on 41 satellites, and the next step is LOOP — an on-orbit refuelling network, revolutionising sustainability and scalability of in-space mobility.
Their spaceplane, Aurora combines the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to suborbital space.
Founded in 2017, Dawn Aerospace has over 120 staff across offices in the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the United States.