ThrustMe and the EIC Accelerator: Iodine Thrusters at Scale
Small satellites need propulsion to change orbit and manoeuvre. ThrustMe, founded in 2017 in Essonne near Paris by Ane Aanesland and Dmytro Rafalskyi, builds electric thrusters that run on solid iodine, which turns to gas when heated. In January 2021 it tested the first iodine-fuelled electric propulsion system in space.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,000,000 towards a €3.52 million project to ramp up production. By August 2026 ThrustMe reported more than 500 systems delivered, 242 launched and more than 50 customers, with production of about one system a day. Its finances are not public.
Company file
- Legal entity
- ThrustMe, SIREN 827453614, Verrières-le-Buisson, France
- Founded
- 2017, by Ane Aanesland (CEO) and Dmytro Rafalskyi
- Products
- NPT30-I2 ion thruster, JPT150 Hall thruster, RCS, LTA100
- Customers named
- GomSpace, Spire, Turion Space, CNES, OroraTech, Dhruva Space, PierSight, Astro Digital
- Production
- Industrial production since 2023, about one system a day
- Register status
- Active; no insolvency notices
- EIC project
- EMBRACE II, 1 Aug 2022 to 31 Dec 2024
- EIC funding
- Blended finance
Where ThrustMe Stands Today
In September 2026 ThrustMe announced that the Danish satellite maker GomSpace is integrating 40 of its propulsion systems into satellite platforms, with the first launches in October 2026, and said it had launched 244 systems on more than 90 satellites. Earlier the same month it reported delivering its first JPT150 Hall thruster to Reflex Aerospace for the German MarbleSat-1 satellite. Its August 2026 release lists 25 constellations in Europe, North America and Asia.
The scale
Propulsion systems delivered and launched
Company figures as of August 2026, with customers and satellites served.
ThrustMe, 25 August 2026.
The Technology: Solid Fuel for Electric Thrusters
ThrustMe's NPT30-I2 is a gridded ion thruster weighing 1.3 kg; the iodine is stored as a solid and sublimated when heated, so the system needs no high-pressure tank. The company sells its thrusters as complete, "off-the-shelf" units that satellite makers can integrate directly.
"We are on the verge of the industrial space era... operators are done with technology demonstrations."
Ane Aanesland, CEO, ThrustMe, August 2026What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The EIC project
The EU paid 57% of a €3.52M project
EMBRACE II ran from August 2022 to December 2024. The award was blended finance.
CORDIS project 190112192. Values in € millions.
EMBRACE II set out to ramp up "production capacity of groundbreaking space propulsion systems". The CORDIS report describes successful testing and qualification of a production qualification model of the iodine systems, simulation and ground tests of thruster clusters, and four NPT30-I2 flight models "ready to be shipped to a customer". It gives no production or sales totals; those come from company releases, which report 100 orders by May 2023, more than 200 by October 2023, and industrial production from 2023.
- A qualified production modelDeliveredPQM tested and qualified.
- Production ramp-upDeliveredAbout one system a day.
- Paying customers at scaleCompany-reported50+ customers claimed; GomSpace order announced.
- Thruster clustersPartialGround-tested; product "coming soon".
What Has Happened Since the Award
The record
From a world first in orbit to one thruster a day
ThrustMe used the EIC project to industrialise its iodine thrusters and now reports more than 500 systems delivered.
- Jan 2021World firstFirst iodine electric propulsion tested in space, on Beihangkongshi-1
- Oct 2021EIC Accelerator cut-offEMBRACE II: ramping up production capacity
- Jul 2022Production line900 m² facility for 365+ systems a year
- Aug 2022EIC project startsProduction qualification model and cluster tests€2.00M grant
- Oct 2023200 ordersOrders doubled in four months
- Dec 2024EIC project endsFour NPT30-I2 flight models ready to ship to a customer
- Jun 2025100th system launchedOn SpaceX Transporter-14
- Sep 2026GomSpace40 systems integrated into GomSpace platforms500+ delivered
ThrustMe and CORDIS.
The Money
The award was blended finance. We found no EIC Fund portfolio listing or announced equity round for ThrustMe, and its press releases do not mention funding. It does not file public accounts in the French register data we could access, so its revenue and profit are not known.
What cannot be checked
ThrustMe's revenue, the prices of its systems, whether the EIC took equity, and how its in-orbit performance compares with its claims are not public. The production and delivery figures are the company's own.
Why Europe Should Care
Satellite constellations need propulsion in quantity, and ThrustMe supplies European, American and Asian operators from a factory in Essonne. It also works with CNES, ESA, ONERA and Airbus Defence and Space. The EIC paid for a production ramp-up, and the company reports one.
What the project promised
A ramp-up in production capacity for iodine space propulsion systems.
What the record shows
500+ systems delivered at about one a day, 242 launched and a 40-unit GomSpace integration.
The Verdict
Promised a factory, reports one
EMBRACE II asked the EIC to fund production, and ThrustMe now reports more than 500 systems delivered. The figures are the company's, and its finances are not public, but the named customers and launches are consistent with them.
ThrustMe has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on company statements, EU project data and the French company register, linked throughout.
Industry
SpaceSpacecraft components
- Focus
- Propulsion systems
- Technologies
- Plasma technology
- Keywords
- Iodine propellant
- Ion thrusters
- Small satellites
- Satellite constellations
- Orbit manoeuvring