Omnidea Acquires Orbex Assets for PrimeNEO Launcher

Omnidea has acquired most of Orbex's intellectual property and UK assets. The Portuguese space and technology group completed the purchase on 30 September, setting the stage for its new UK operations and the evolution of the Prime small launch vehicle.

The acquisition includes manufacturing equipment, tools, material stocks, processes, and the Orbex brand itself. Omnidea also acquired technical data from both Orbex's UK and Danish operations. The deal covered two of the three buildings Orbex operated in Forres, Scotland. The Orbex corporate legal entities were not part of the transaction and remain in administration. Joint Administrators Chad Griffin, Geoff Rowley and Graham Smith of FRP Advisory handled the sale.

Omnidea has ringfenced more than €10 million to integrate the new assets. The company will establish its UK team at the former Orbex manufacturing facility in Forres. An initial core group of former Orbex employees who stayed during the administration will form the basis of Omnidea UK. The company plans to recruit more staff as the operation develops.

Technical evolution of Prime

Omnidea is adapting the acquired Orbex Prime launcher into a new vehicle called PrimeNEO. The focus is on simplifying the design and improving its manufacturability. It is too early to provide a launch date for PrimeNEO's inaugural flight.

The company was already a partner to Orbex in the European Space Agency's European Launcher Challenge. Separately, Omnidea has been developing its own suborbital launcher programme with ESA for the past four years.

UK operations and future planning

Omnidea intends to design, manufacture, and produce from Scotland. The Forres site will become the company's centre for structures development, fabrication, and a hub for flight and ground-system electronics. This will complement Omnidea's existing expertise in propulsion and fluid systems.

Sérgio da Cunha Oliveira, Vice President of Omnidea, will lead the UK operations. The company is considering launch sites for PrimeNEO in both Scotland and Portugal's Azores. A final decision on the launch site will be made only after further technical development. The sequence matters: first build capability, then determine where it creates the greatest value to launch.

Omnidea says it will proactively support the UK's ambition to secure assured access to space. It will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders and partners.

Strategic context and market positioning

Omnidea submitted its offer for the assets in March 2026 as part of a competitive process. The transaction received necessary foreign direct investment and export-control approvals from UK and Danish authorities before closing. The company considered acquiring Orbex's Danish operations, including the Faxe propulsion test site, but decided against it due to significant capability overlap with its existing work.

Omnidea will not continue development of Orbex's proposed medium-lift vehicle, Proxima. The company is in ongoing discussions with space agencies that backed Orbex's Prime proposal. These talks include whether funding previously allocated for Orbex's European Launcher Challenge bid could be available to Omnidea. The company declined to disclose the cost of the acquisition.

Separate transactions are handling Orbex's Kinloss test facility and Sutherland Spaceport assets. Orbex, the original rocket builder, collapsed into administration in February.

Omnidea is attentive to market developments. "Our goal is to have an available launcher in time to still be relevant in this ever-expanding market," the company said. It will explore opportunities to apply its technologies in other advanced technology markets. Omnidea continues to evaluate launch sites in Scotland and Portugal, with a site decision deferred until after further development progress is made at Forres.