SpacePep’s: from rocket to table

     

ESA supports businesses worldwide through partnerships and licensing programmes. Nadia Lüders, responsible for brand licensing and partnerships at ESA, explains; “We are careful to team up with organisations that share the agency’s values, and so are particularly proud to work with a project from which all profits go into supporting the local Polakat community organisation, dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and French Guiana's gastronomic heritage.”

Cooking with Ariane

Following the principle of French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed," SpacePep's takes materials that have served their purpose in the space industry and breathes new life into them, creating something functional for everyday life.

Metals come from the production process of Ariane 5 rockets, such as pieces from boosters or screws used in their assembly. “The repurposing of Ariane metals into SpacePep's knives symbolises the continuation of Europe’s space legacy, but in a way that connects it directly to everyday life,” explains Teddy Peponnet, Founder of SpacePep’s.

“Each piece of rocket metal is machine cut and expertly integrated into the knife handles by Fontenille Pataud master cutlers in Thiers, France, a city renowned for its tradition of fine knife-making. This careful process ensures that the legacy of Europe’s space achievements can be felt in each handcrafted knife.”

Space meets Earth’s forests

SpacePep’s partners with local artisans and uses wood from French Guiana’s forests for the knife handles. Six different types of wood are used, each with unique characteristics, from the rich hues of Purpleheart to the intricate patterns of Marblewood. All wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests, certified by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

This dedication to environmental responsibility reflects one of SpacePep's key missions: to contribute to building a sustainable future. By repurposing materials that would otherwise go unused and by ensuring the wood is ethically sourced, SpacePep’s creates products that are attractive, functional but also eco-conscious.

Supporting the Polakat Association

All profits from the SpacePep’s project go to supporting the Polakat Association, a local organisation in French Guiana dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and French Guiana's gastronomic heritage. ‘Polakat’ means ‘eating well’ in the Teko language, Amerindian, spoken by indigenous communities in the region. Through this initiative, SpacePep’s is helping fund a research project focused on the cultivation of the tonka bean, a valuable spice that grows wild in the forests of French Guiana.

Working towards more sustainable spaceflight

This December, the Ariane programme turns 45. As Ariane 1 blasted to space on 24 December 1979 from Kourou, French Guiana, Europe’s independent adventure in space began. It continues its evolution to this day, with the recent launch of the modular, flexible and mighty Ariane 6.

As Europe’s rockets advance, so does its launch site. Europe’s Spaceport aims to achieve 90% renewable energy usage by the end of 2025. Together the launch base and jungle that surrounds it cover 690 km², the site also protects an abundance of wildlife and plants. Through these efforts and many other initiatives, ESA remains committed to minimising the environmental impact of space activities while ensuring the continued benefits of space exploration for all.

The SpacePep’s project neatly melds both of these vital ESA commitments, to space exploration and evolution, and to sustainability and community on Earth. To mark 45 years of Ariane, a limited edition has been designed and produced; just 100 available, each numbered, and made with a piece of Ariane 5 in the snakewood handle.

To explore SpacePep’s unique first collection of knives, the Authentic and the Table Set, and to learn more about their mission, visit their website and discover how Europe’s space legacy lives on through French craftsmanship, rocket metals and sustainable innovation. Find out more about ESA’s licensing programme by visiting the ESA Brand Centre.