Genesis Space Flight Laboratories

Success Story

Genesis Space Flight Laboratories

Croatia-based Genesis Space Flight Laboratories is on a mission to make space research more accessible. After debuting with MAYASAT-1 — a 1U biological incubator launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-14 rideshare mission — the company secured seed funding to pursue three follow-up missions with its GEN Sample Return Capsule, targeting launch in 2026 and reentry in 2027.

Genesis Space Flight Laborotaries' Challenge

The GEN-1 capsule is one of the smallest space capsules ever developed. Designed for frequent microgravity experiments with sample return capability, it can be deployed from standard CubeSat and PocketQube dispensers and operate autonomously for up to nine months. Once the reentry trajectory is reached, the capsule detaches while its host satellite burns up.

Dcubed Solution

To solve this challenge, Genesis selected Dcubed’s nD3RN Nano Release Nut, a miniature, flight-proven Hold Down and Release Mechanism (HDRM) engineered for missions where space and mass are at a premium. For a system as compact as GEN-1, traditional separation rings were not feasible, and custom burn-wire mechanisms couldn’t guarantee the precision or repeatability required for reentry missions. Dcubed’s actuator offered a compact, lightweight, and reliable European-built solution — uniquely suited to the GEN capsule’s design constraints.

Dcubed Impact

In addition to the actuator’s technical performance, Dcubed’s flexibility and hands-on support were key factors in Genesis’s supplier decision. The Dcubed team delivered hardware ahead of schedule, organized separation testing at their facility, and collaborated closely with Genesis engineers to design a custom cup-and-cone interface to further minimize the risk of sticking during release. The nD3RN actuator demonstrated clean and repeatable separation during prototype tests at Dcubed HQ, even under stringent reentry-alignment requirements.

For Genesis, the choice of Dcubed wasn’t just about finding a product that fits — it was about finding a partner that could adapt, innovate, and deliver with the same precision and commitment they bring to their own work. Genesis and Dcubed are now working together toward the 2026 GEN-1 mission, marking another milestone in Europe’s growing ecosystem of small-space innovators and showcasing how precision-engineered deployables enable bold new possibilities in orbital research and return capabilities.

“Launching a payload to space is inherently complex, but achieving its safe return presents even greater challenges. Mission success with GEN depends on highly specialized solutions and subsystems, as well as collaboration with leading experts in the field. Dcubed is a highly professional, internationally recognized company with extensive experience providing actuators and solar arrays for numerous missions. We are honored to partner with them and have received support far beyond our expectations. We strongly recommend Dcubed for any project involving deployables.”