Blog

The price of the Corvid Stealth Scout, explained

People often ask us why the Corvid Stealth Scout is priced at ₡210 million. The short answer is that a Reconnaissance scout has to work for decades in places where nobody can help if it breaks.

Total cost of ownership: Meridian Colony Ark

Commissioning a Meridian Colony Ark starts at ₡8,950 million. That buys a Colony ship with a 260,000 tonnes payload and a 300 AU reach.

What the autonomy co-pilot actually does, and what it is not allowed to do

Every Halcyon ship now flies with an onboard autonomy co-pilot. Our director of autonomy explains its job, its limits, and why we deliberately keep humans in charge.

Halcyon Open Star Chart 2187 goes public under CC0-1.0

Open data is a core part of how Halcyon works. Today Halcyon Open Star Chart 2187, a dataset, joins our public catalogue under the CC0-1.0 terms.

Release notes: Geyserline Enceladus Plume Sampler

The latest release of Geyserline Enceladus Plume Sampler is now live. This satellite (Saturn orbit, resonant with Enceladus) remains freely available under CC-BY-4.0.

Handover day: Belt Watch Patrol Cooperative receives its Aurora Mk II fleet

This week we delivered 6 Aurora Mk II hulls to Belt Watch Patrol Cooperative. The firm was founded in 2158 and runs its operations out of Vesta.

Total cost of ownership: Gravitas Dock Barge

Commissioning a Gravitas Dock Barge starts at ₡330 million. That buys a Orbital construction barge with a 18,000 tonnes payload and a 6 AU reach.

Andes Orbital Couriers commissions Aurora Mk II hulls for Luna service

Another delivery has left the yard. Andes Orbital Couriers, based at South America, now flies 22 Aurora Mk II hulls built by Halcyon.

Riding the ice road: a Tempest run to Enceladus

Account executive Valentina Rojas joined a customer's Tempest Ice Runner for a full harvest run at Enceladus, and came back with a new respect for water.

Coming soon to North America: Test Pilots Society Symposium

Mark your calendar for 30 December 2026, when Test Pilots Society Symposium arrives at High Desert Flight Test Center. This conference is where Halcyon speakers take the stage.

Hesper Titan Atmosphere Sounder goes public under CC-BY-4.0

Open data is a core part of how Halcyon works. Today Hesper Titan Atmosphere Sounder, a satellite, joins our public catalogue under the CC-BY-4.0 terms.

Open catalogue update: Odyssey Ice Giant Telemetry Archive

Today's catalogue spotlight is Odyssey Ice Giant Telemetry Archive, a dataset. Its operational setting is the ground segment.

Spotlight: Mei-Lin Zhou on building the future of spaceflight

Mei-Lin Zhou joined Halcyon to work on hard problems, and as Director of Autonomy there has been no shortage of them.

Release notes: Seraph Triage Assistant

The latest release of Seraph Triage Assistant is now live. This open source project (the ground segment) remains freely available under MIT.

Minutes matter: how the Seraph cut medevac response times on Mars

A mission controller's look at two years of Seraph Medevac operations around Mars, and why average time-to-surgery fell from 31 hours to under 9.

Open Flight Software Meetup: speakers and schedule

We've finalised the Halcyon line-up for Open Flight Software Meetup. The meetup opens on 29 November 2026 at The Foundry Co-working Space, Lyon, Europe.

By the numbers: the Odyssey Deep Explorer

Engineers love numbers, so here they are for the Odyssey Deep Explorer. This Long-range explorer packs a lot into a 196 m airframe.

Join us at L5 Open Data Day in L5 Lagrange Station

Save the date: 4 December 2026. L5 Open Data Day, a meetup hosted by Halcyon Stellar Works, takes place at Kepler Yards, Commons Deck.

Fleet expansion: 3 × Valkyrie Survey Corvette for Ceres Deepcore Mining Collective

Ceres Deepcore Mining Collective has added 3 examples of the Valkyrie Survey Corvette to its fleet. The handover ceremony took place at the Kepler Yards, with crews from Ceres on hand to accept the keys.

The Odyssey Deep Explorer leaves the cradle

A new Long-range explorer has joined the Halcyon catalogue. The Odyssey Deep Explorer lifted off for its maiden sortie on June 2181, and the flight crew came back grinning.

A day at Olympus Ring: where colony arks are born

Yard operations director Arjun Mehta walks through a single shift at our Mars orbital yard, from the 05:00 briefing to the final hull weld.

Why Bluewater Orbital Medical Trust chose the Kestrel

When Bluewater Orbital Medical Trust wanted more capacity for its Mars business, it compared ships from every major yard. In the end it ordered 4 Kestrel hulls from Halcyon Stellar Works.

Inside the Tempest Ice Runner: what the spec sheet doesn't tell you

A spec sheet says the Tempest Ice Runner is 410 m long and carries 38,000 tonnes, but that is only part of the picture. What matters is how this Outer-system ice transport behaves on a real mission.

The price of the Seraph Medevac, explained

People often ask us why the Seraph Medevac is priced at ₡96.0 million. The short answer is that a Medical / rescue has to work for decades in places where nobody can help if it breaks.