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European spacecraft manufacturer The Exploration Company (TEC) and the DLR spin-off InSpacePropulsion Technologies (ISPTech) have signed a license agreement. 
The Exploration Company will be able to use ISPTech’s hypergolic green propellant HIP_11 for its space capsules. 
After an extensive review of the propulsion market, TEC plans to use HIP_11 to power its full-scale Nyx capsule. Nyx is scheduled to fly in 2027. The capsule will be powered by the Mistral thruster currently under development by TEC.

About HIP_11
HIP_11 is a hypergolic propellant combination consisting of highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and an ionic liquid fuel. It was developed by ISPTech’s co-founder and CTO Felix Lauck during his PhD at DLR. The propellant offers unique advantages such as low toxicity, easy handling, high performance and overall significantly lower cost than conventional toxic and carcinogenic propellants.

About ISPTech
ISPTech is a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The company offers non-toxic (green), affordable and reliable in-space propulsion technologies based on more than 10 years of R&D at DLR. Using it’s two technologies – HyNOx and HIP_11 – ISPTech can offer the optimal propulsion solution for any size and class of spacecraft. The first HyNOx thrusters have recently been qualified and will be flown in space in late 2025/early 2026.

About The Exploration Company
The Exploration Company is a European spacecraft manufacturer. Based in Munich, Germany and Bordeaux, France, the company develops, manufactures and operates the Nyx space capsule for space agencies, space stations, space companies and other industries. Although the company’s first missions will be cargo missions, Nyx is designed to eventually carry humans.

Learn more about The Exploration Company here: Home | The Exploration Company

Last week we attended Deep Tech Momentum in Berlin. The event was incredibly valuable. We met founders, investors, mentors, customers and competitors from all over Europe!

Our highlights in the space track were the talks by Bulent Altan, the discussions and panels about NewSpace in Europe (with the participation of Jan Wörner Jan Wörner, Daniel Metzler and others) as well as the insights into venture capital thinking by Lukas Leitner.

It was also great to meet colleagues from the DLR Startup Factory and to have a close exchange with other spin-off founders.

On the last day we participated in the pitch event, made it to the finals and won the HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds Acceleration and Investment Prize! What an incredible honor to receive such a prize! Thanks to Markus Kückelhaus and Olaf Joeressen.

We would also like to congratulate the other finalists, selected from 170 participating startups: Lightium, Smabbler, Reflex Aerospace, YEESMA, Cellectric Biosciences, and GambitBio.

We are looking forward to deepen the exchange with all the founders, mentors and investors we met. Deep Tech Momentum is definitely a must-attend event for all deep tech founders. Thanks to Techstars Deep Tech Berlin and especially Isabelle Flanagan and Martin Schilling for organizing such a great event!

Introducing our integrated HyNOx Propulsion System Demonstrator. With funding from the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Enterprise Spin-off Program, the technology transfer of DLR (DLR Innovation & Transfer) and the infrastructure of DLR-Institut für Raumfahrtantriebe, we assembled our first demonstrator of a full HyNOx propulsion system, including tanks, valves, fueling interfaces, heaters, and more.

The first hot fire marks an important milestone for ISPTech. Among other achievements, we have demonstrated a successful fueling process and propellant conditioning. During initial run-in tests, several hot gas maneuvers were performed.

ISPTech is proud to announce that its 1U and 4U CubeSat HyNOx Propulsion Modules have been selected among the winners of the DLR Space Agency Small Satellite Payload Competition!
The competition award includes a small satellite platform provided by EnduroSat GmbH as well as the flight on a European microlauncher until 2025.
ISPTech looks forward to making the in-orbit demonstration of the HyNOx propulsion systems a reality. Thanks Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt e.V.! Stay tuned for more details. Picture © by DLR.

We are proud to announce our first international partnership!
Curtin Space Science and Technology Centre’s (SSTC) upcoming Binar Space Program Prospector mission will use a HyNOx propulsion system developed by ISPTech.

The cubesat will survey the surface of the moon to identify lunar resources, and will include a HyNOx propulsion system with a 1N thruster as well as thrusters developed by Binar.

The propulsion system is capable of increasing the spacecraft’s velocity by more than 700km/h and builds on more than 10 years of research and development activities at DLR in the field of in-space propulsion.
It will support Binar’s mission with green, reliable, high-performance and cost-effective propulsion technology. Read the full press release here:

International space partnership taking WA tech to new heights – News at Curtin | Curtin University, Perth, Australia