ThrustMe, a French provider of advanced in-orbit propulsion solutions for the industrial space era, has successfully launched its 100th propulsion system into space. This milestone was achieved aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-14 mission that launched to space this Monday, June 23rd. The launcher carried a total of 26 ThrustMe propulsion units across seven satellites.
The electric space propulsion industry has grown rapidly in recent years. Just six years ago, fewer than 10 electric propulsion systems were launched globally each year. Today, SpaceX alone deploys more than 1500 propulsion systems on the Starlink fleet per year, with the rest of the industry contributing modestly with an additional 500. With this exponential growth, market forecasts now predict an annual demand for between 3,000 and 8,000 propulsion units in the coming years.
ThrustMe’s propulsion systems have cumulated over 12,000 operational hours in orbit. One system has already completed its full mission lifetime after a few years in orbit, while another has achieved a 30 km orbit raise in just 12 days. In this latest launch, one of the satellites will soon attempt the world’s first proximity operation using electric propulsion; a significant step forward in on-orbit servicing and inspection capabilities.
As satellite missions become more complex and automated, and autonomous maneuvers more critical, scalable and reliable in-orbit propulsion has become essential. ThrustMe’s use of solid iodine propellant eliminates the complexity and supply constraints of traditional xenon systems, enabling safer and more cost-effective satellite operations.
“There is a clear production bottleneck in the propulsion supply chain,” says Dr. Ane Aanesland, co-founder and CEO of ThrustMe, “but increasing production capacity must be done carefully to preserve the product quality and reliability that are vital for both our clients and the global space ecosystem”.
ThrustMe is doubling its production capacity annually since 2023, an admirable pace for these sophisticated space systems delivering reliable propulsion solutions at industrial scale.