As we wrap up 2021, we thought it was timely to take a look back at the key milestones for the year.
In the year of 2021, Destinus accelerated towards our mission of building the near-space vehicles and associated infrastructure to power the world’s fastest and cleanest transportation system. We incorporated the company and opened 4 offices, located in Switzerland, Germany, France, and Spain. We welcomed new colleagues who bring decades of experience from the aerospace industry. And we built and flew our first prototype.
Earlier this year, our founder, Mikhail Kokorich, had a vision of a world where distance doesn’t exist. The whole history of humanity is the story of our struggle with space and time. Mastering new horizons, moving ever farther; driven by the desire for a better life or for wealth, out of fear or out of sheer curiosity, people found ever faster, easier, cheaper, and safer ways to conquer the space between locations. The mastering of new territories is impossible to imagine without transport. And so Destinus was founded on March 16, 2021, with a goal to transform the air transportation industry.
Growing our Team: Destinus’ team has continued to grow at all of our international offices. We’re now a team of 40+ highly qualified and motivated employees. It’s incredible to think that we had just 2 full-time employees this summer! We have also welcomed a number of advisors who bring us a wealth of knowledge from the aerospace industry and help strengthen our network. (Take a look at our open positions here).
Expanding our Network: Some months ago, we became members of the Swiss Aerospace Cluster, who provide us with a unique network to the national aerospace industry. Since then, we have continued to expand our memberships and partnerships. We recently became a part of the Starburst Aerospace accelerator, who help introduce us to partners and investors from their high-level network.
Technology Development: Earlier this year, we filed our first patent, for an active cooling system using hydrogen for hypersonic flight. This system is currently being designed and will be tested onboard our first hypersonic vehicle in 2023-2024. In November this year, we flew the maiden flight of Jungfrau, verifying its ability to operate at low speeds with a hypersonic aero shape. And we also started the manufacturing of our second prototype (pictured in this holiday card), that will be twice the size of Jungfrau and have its first flight in early 2022.
So, what’s next?
If there’s anything that this year has taught us, it’s that we can assemble and work effectively with a highly skilled, multi-national team spread across different locations. Next year, you can expect to see us continue to expand our team and to further build out our key technologies: Hyperplane prototypes, rocket engines, autopilot systems, and manufacturing capabilities. We will grow our global reach through our talent, investments, and the right strategic partners.
We are just getting started…
Bring on 2022!
