Development and production of rocket engines and environmentally friendly propellants for CubeSats, SmallSats and larger space probes
InSpacePropulsion Technologies GmbH
Ludwigsburg (Industrial Center LIZ) · GermanyNew on Amplifa
About ISPTech
ISPTech (InSpacePropulsion Technologies GmbH) is a DLR spin-off based in the Ludwigsburg Industrial Center (LIZ) that develops and produces propulsion systems for space applications. The company offers thruster solutions from CubeSat to large satellites and space probes: HyNOx, a self-pressurizing bipropellant consisting of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and ethane (C₂H₆) for CubeSats to SmallSats (thrust 1 N to 200 N); HIP_11, a green hypergolic propellant consisting of highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide (98 % H₂O₂) and an ionic liquid for larger satellites and space probes (thrust from 22 N); and a Cold Gas Propulsion Module. The development is based on more than ten years of research at the DLR Institute of Space Propulsion and includes thousands of hot-fire tests under atmospheric and vacuum conditions. ISPTech relies on non-toxic propellants, standard components and additive manufacturing to produce cost-effective, robust and rapidly available propulsion systems. Customers include ATMOS Space Cargo, The Exploration Company, DLR and BINAR (Prospector lunar mission).
- Site
- Ludwigsburg
- Processes
- HyNOx engines (bipropellant, N₂O/C₂H₆), HIP_11 engines (hypergolic, H₂O₂/ionic liquid), Cold gas engine / cold gas propulsion module, Additive manufacturing (engine components), Hot-fire tests / in-house testing (atmospheric and vacuum), Development and production of rocket engines and propellants (HyNOx, HIP_11), In-house testing, Cold Gas Propulsion Module
- Materials
- N₂O / C₂H₆ (nitrous oxide and ethane), H₂O₂ (98 %) / ionic liquid, Cold gas propulsion
- Certificates
- In-house hot-fire tests (atmospheric and vacuum), TRL 5 qualification (HIP_11 22N)
- Industries
- NewSpace, Space Industry, Satellite Technology, CubeSats/SmallSats
- 01
Development of the engine and propulsion systems
- 02
Additive manufacturing of engine components
- 03
System integration
- 04
In-house hot-fire tests (atmospheric and vacuum)
- 05
Qualification and delivery
Propellants and Manufacturing Processes
N₂O / C₂H₆ (nitrous oxide and ethane)
Self-pressurizing, non-toxic bipropellant for cost-effective CubeSat and SmallSat propulsion with thrust from 1 N to 200 N.
H₂O₂ (98 %) / ionic liquid
Green hypergolic propellant with high density and significantly reduced hazards compared to conventional hypergolic combinations, for performance-oriented applications from 22 N thrust.
Cold gas propulsion
Simplified propulsion module for CubeSats without a combustion process.
Locations
Ludwigsburg
DEHeadquarters, development, production and testing (Industrial Center LIZ)
- Materials
- N₂O, C₂H₆, H₂O₂
Products and Propulsion Modules
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HyNOx engines (bipropellant, N₂O/C₂H₆)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Nitrous oxide (N₂O), Ethane (C₂H₆) |
| HIP_11 engines (hypergolic, H₂O₂/ionic liquid)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide (98% H₂O₂), Ionic liquid propellant |
| Cold gas engine / cold gas propulsion moduleEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Additive manufacturing (engine components)Additive | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hot-fire tests / in-house testing (atmospheric and vacuum)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Testing
ISPTech carries out hot-fire tests in-house under atmospheric and vacuum conditions. The HyNOx development comprises thousands of tests, and the HIP_11 22N engine was qualified under vacuum up to TRL 5.
| Evidence | Ludwigsburg |
|---|---|
| In-house hot-fire tests (atmospheric and vacuum) | |
| TRL 5 qualification (HIP_11 22N) |
History
- 2023
HyNOx CubeSat propulsion wins DLR Small Satellite Payload Competition (November)
- 2023
HyNOx thrusters for the BINAR Prospector lunar mission (November)
- 2024
€2M pre-seed funding secured (July); HIP_11 licensing agreement with The Exploration Company (October)
- 2025
Relocation to new headquarters in the Ludwigsburg Industrial Center (April); HIP_11 22N thruster reaches TRL 5 (September)
- 2026
Seed round of €5.5M (February)