Aevum Inc

Aevum Inc. is an American autonomous air-launch company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, that developed the Ravn X — claimed as the world's largest autonomous unmanned aircraft system (UAS), designed to serve as the first stage of an air-launch-to-orbit satellite delivery system enabling rapid, runway-based small satellite deployments for defense and commercial customers.

The Ravn X autonomous aircraft spans approximately 80 feet in wingspan and weighs up to 55,000 pounds at maximum takeoff weight, capable of taking off from standard runways without any launch pad and flying to a release altitude of approximately 18,000 feet over open ocean before releasing the Ravn rocket second stage for powered ascent to orbit. The system's claimed advantage is operational flexibility: launching from any suitable runway eliminates dependence on fixed launch infrastructure, allows launches from multiple geographic locations, and enables rapid turnaround for responsive space access where satellite deployment must occur within hours rather than weeks of notice.

Aevum received a US Air Force contract for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer (ASLON-45) program to demonstrate responsive small satellite launch capability on demand. The company unveiled the Ravn X in 2021 and conducted initial ground demonstrations at Mojave Air and Space Port, but orbital flight demonstration had not been achieved as of publicly available information, placing the program in an uncertain development status.

Aevum competes conceptually with Rocket Lab (Electron), the former Virgin Orbit (LauncherOne, ceased 2023), and DARPA's Launch Challenge concept for defense small satellite responsive launch contracts.