ABL Space Systems
Small-sat launch startup behind the RS1 rocket
- Founded
- 2017
- Headquarters
- El Segundo, California
Overview
ABL Space Systems was an American launch company founded in 2017 in El Segundo, California by former SpaceX engineer Harry O'Hanley and former Morgan Stanley banker Dan Piemont. It set out to serve the small-satellite market with a low-cost, highly transportable orbital rocket.
The company's flagship vehicle was RS1, a two-stage small-satellite launch vehicle designed to deploy from a self-contained, deployable ground system (GS0) for rapid, mobile launches. RS1 was intended to lift roughly a metric ton to low Earth orbit at a low price point.
ABL never reached orbit. Its only orbital launch attempt, RS1 DEMO-1, failed seconds after liftoff in January 2023, and a second vehicle was lost in a pad fire in 2024. In late 2024 the company announced a pivot away from commercial launch toward missile defense, and in February 2025 it rebranded as Long Wall, exiting the orbital launch business.
Timeline
- 2017
Company founded
ABL Space Systems was founded in El Segundo, California by Harry O'Hanley and Dan Piemont to build a low-cost small-satellite launch vehicle.
- Jan 2023
RS1 maiden launch fails
RS1's DEMO-1 flight from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska failed about 11 seconds after liftoff and crashed near the pad, never reaching orbit.
- Jul 2024
Second RS1 lost in pad fire
A flight-ready RS1 was irreparably damaged in a fire following a static-fire test, ending plans for a second orbital attempt (DEMO-2).
- Nov 2024
Pivot to missile defense
ABL announced it would abandon the commercial orbital launch market and refocus on missile defense and national-defense applications.
- Feb 2025
Rebrand to Long Wall
CEO Dan Piemont announced the company would rebrand as Long Wall, focusing on missile defense systems and hypersonic flight test vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
Rockets
RS1
1 launch
