Kreios Space to Demonstrate Air‑Breathing Electric Propulsion in VLEO on NanoAvionics MP42 Bus
Kreios Space will test its air‑breathing electric propulsion on a VLEO mission using a NanoAvionics MP42 microsatellite, aiming to stay at 200 km without onboard propellant.
Spanish startup Kreios Space announced on Aug. 4 that it will fly the first very low Earth orbit (VLEO) demonstration of its air‑breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) on a Kongsberg NanoAvionics MP42 microsatellite bus. The mission, slated for a 2027 launch, will place the 200‑km‑altitude satellite in a regime where atmospheric drag normally shortens lifetimes. By harvesting ambient oxygen and nitrogen as propellant, the ABEP system promises to keep the spacecraft aloft without carrying fuel. If successful, the technology could reshape how commercial constellations operate in the densest part of low‑Earth orbit.
What happened
Kreios Space will integrate its ABEP thruster onto NanoAvionics’ MP42 bus, which will also host an undisclosed optical payload. NanoAvionics will customize the platform, perform integration, testing and commissioning before Kreios assumes operational control.
The flight will validate thruster performance, collect environmental measurements, and acquire sub‑meter resolution visible and near‑infrared images from VLEO. Kreios plans a follow‑up flight in 2028 to build on the data.
Why it matters
Operating at roughly 200 km subjects a satellite to drag that is an order of magnitude higher than at the more common 500 km altitude. Conventional electric propulsion would need large propellant reserves, inflating mass and cost, and limiting mission duration. ABEP’s ability to harvest atmospheric gases could eliminate that propellant penalty, allowing longer‑lived, lower‑cost missions in a region that offers higher resolution imaging and reduced latency for communications.
- Eliminates need for onboard propellant at very low altitudes
- Potentially extends mission lifetimes in high‑drag regimes
- Reduces launch mass, lowering cost per kilogram
- Technology is unproven in orbit, performance unknown
- Reliance on atmospheric composition may vary with solar activity
- Integration complexity adds risk to microsatellite schedule
How to think about it
For satellite designers, the Kreios demo suggests a new trade‑off: consider VLEO for higher‑resolution payloads and lower latency, but factor in the maturity of ABEP when estimating risk and schedule. Investors should watch the telemetry releases for thrust efficiency and lifetime data before committing to commercial VLEO constellations. Enthusiasts can follow the mission’s public updates to gauge how quickly the technology might transition from demo to operational use.
FAQ
What is air‑breathing electric propulsion?+
How does operating at 200 km differ from typical 500 km low‑Earth orbit?+
When will data from the Kreios VLEO demo be released?+
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