Aurora Propulsion Technologies Secures €1.7M Seed Funding

The Increasing Need for Spacecraft Maneuvering

A record number of spacecraft are scheduled for launch this year, with projections indicating continued growth throughout the decade. Consequently, the ability to effectively control satellite positioning and safely deorbit spacecraft at the end of their operational lifespan is becoming increasingly vital.

Aurora Propulsion Technologies: A New Approach

Aurora Propulsion Technologies is a startup dedicated to simplifying spacecraft propulsion challenges. Founded in 2018, the Finnish company has created two key products: a miniaturized thruster engine and a plasma braking system. Both technologies are slated for in-orbit testing during the final quarter of the current year.

The company’s innovative work has attracted significant investment, recently securing a €1.7 million ($2 million) seed funding round to facilitate the commercialization of its technologies.

Investment Details and Key Participants

The investment round was spearheaded by Practica Capital, a Lithuanian venture capital firm. Additional funding came from TESI (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd.), a state-owned private equity company, and The Flying Object, a fund managed by Kluz Ventures. Several individual investors also contributed to the round.

Aurora Sat-1: The Upcoming In-Orbit Demonstration

Aurora’s inaugural in-orbit demonstration, designated Aurora Sat-1, is scheduled to launch via a Rocket Lab rideshare mission. This satellite will house two distinct modules for testing purposes.

The first module will incorporate six Aurora “resistojet” engines, designed for precise attitude control and de-tumbling of small spacecraft. The second module will be dedicated to evaluating the Plasma Brake technology, which offers potential for both satellite deorbiting and deep space exploration.

Resistojet Thruster Technology

Each resistojet thruster measures approximately one centimeter in length and utilizes minute quantities of water and propellant for propulsion. These thrusters are strategically positioned around the satellite to enable movement in almost any direction.

Furthermore, the thruster can regulate both the water temperature and the intensity of the steam discharge, allowing for fine-tuned control of spacecraft movement.

A Rapid Pace of Innovation

Aurora CEO Roope Takala, formerly of Nokia, draws parallels between the advancements in size and weight within the space industry and the evolution of mobile phones and computers over the past two decades. “The industry moves very slow,” he stated in a recent TechCrunch interview. “In the old space era, it took a quarter to develop a rocket engine – that would be a quarter of a century. Now, it takes two quarters of a year. That’s what we did.”

The Dual Functionality of the Plasma Brake

The Plasma Brake employs an electrically charged microtether to create a proton cloud, generating drag. While ideally suited for deorbiting spacecraft, this technology surprisingly also holds potential for interplanetary travel, according to Takala.

Outside Earth’s magnetosphere, the Plasma Brake becomes responsive to solar wind, enabling it to harness plasma flow for propulsion. “The same product can jump onto that flow of plasma from the sun and extract energy from that,” Takala explained. “In that context we can use it as an interplanetary traveling tool.”

Potential for Spacecraft Guidance and Limitations

Theoretically, a spacecraft equipped with multiple tethers oriented in different directions could be steered like a sailboat. However, the scalability of this technology is limited by the material strength of the Plasma Brake tethers.

Currently, the technology is best suited for satellites weighing up to approximately 1,000 kilograms, precluding its immediate use for crewed deep space missions.

Future Goals and Expansion Plans

“That’s our future. That’s where we’re aiming,” Takala affirmed. “We’re focused now for the short term on low Earth orbit with the Plasma Brake and the attitude control [resistojet], and later on when the moon businesses kick off as they are slowly starting to do, then we’ll probably be looking at that way.”

Integration and Future Development

Aurora’s Plasma Brake and resistojet thruster are designed for pre-launch integration onto spacecraft. However, the company is exploring the possibility of in-orbit installation of Plasma Brakes for existing space debris.

The newly acquired funding will be used to finalize product development for low Earth orbit applications, scale up production, and enhance the products to accommodate larger satellites beyond CubeSat size.

A Vision for Deep Space Exploration

Looking further ahead, Aurora envisions undertaking missions in deep space. “We started off from the idea that we want to make a technology that fits into a really small spacecraft, [and] travels really fast so that we can catch up with the Voyager probes,” Takala said.

“First to the moon and then to Mars, Venus, and then one day we may be able to catch up with the Voyagers and take a big trip.”