Astra Space says it’s made a deal with Tukwila, Wash.-based LeoStella to provide multiple electric propulsion systems for LeoStella’s small satellites, with deliveries due to begin later this year.

When it comes to space exploration, large vehicles get most of the press -- but a team on KickStarter wants to build an engine that could power nanoscale satellites on their own journeys of ...

Univity tested its first payload on the rooftop of a CNES facility in France as part of early 5G satellite experiments. Credit: ©CNES/Adrien RIBET, 2025 TAMPA, Fla. — France-based propulsion startup ...

You don’t see many ionic thrusters out in the world these days. The high-voltage devices are interesting pieces of technology, but they aren’t all that relevant to our normal lives. They’re gradually ...

A spacecraft thruster that relies on iodine has been successfully tested in an orbiting satellite (Nature 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04015-y). The propulsion system is a form of ion drive, which ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! You are ...

Plasmoid thrusters have had successful proof of principle experiments done in the lab at Princeton University. The systems should be compact and simple and based upon magnetism present in solar flares ...