Posted on 9 September, 2026
Delivered to Reflex Aerospace at the end of July, ThrustMe's JPT150 is the world's first iodine-fueled Hall thruster.
Paris, September 9, 2026. The JPT150 will power MarbleSat-1, the Earth observation satellite developed by Reflex Aerospace for German operator Marble Imaging, now in integration. Spun out of the CNRS and École Polytechnique plasma physics laboratory, ThrustMe designs and manufactures its electric propulsion systems in Verrières-le-Buisson (Essonne, France). A full-scale model of the satellite is on display at the Grand Palais during the International Space Summit, September 9-10. The satellite's launch is scheduled for Q1 2027.
Electric propulsion systems are critical subsystems of satellites, allowing them to reach their target orbit after deployment, correct their trajectory, avoid collisions, and deorbit at the end of their mission. The JPT150 was delivered to Reflex Aerospace at the end of July 2026.
This new mission is part of ThrustMe's international growth: the company now equips more than 25 constellations across Europe, North America, and Asia. To date, 244 of its propulsion systems have been launched, on more than 90 satellites. In April 2026, the company announced commercial agreements worth more than €10 million to equip 40 Japanese Earth observation satellites.
Satellite electric thrusters traditionally run on xenon, a noble gas that must be stored under high pressure in heavy, complex tanks. ThrustMe replaces it with iodine, stored in solid form. When heated, iodine turns to gas and feeds the thruster directly. The propellant is more compact, lighter and cheaper, and it takes the pressurized tank off the platform. The thruster itself runs on the same proven Hall thruster physics as the rest of the market.
The JPT150 ships as one integrated system: thruster, power electronics, fluidics, propellant and embedded software from a single supplier. The software runs self-tuning algorithms built for automated and autonomous operations. Hall thrusters are usually assembled from several vendors, with the operator writing its own control software.
ThrustMe was the first company to successfully demonstrate iodine electric propulsion in orbit, with results published in the journal Nature in 2021. The JPT150 is the first to bring iodine to a Hall thruster. The breakthrough is the iodine-fed neutralizer, a challenge the industry has faced since the 1960s.
The company's gridded-ion thruster, the NPT30, addresses satellites from a few tens of kilograms up to around 150-200 kg. The JPT150 extends that range to platforms from a few hundred kilograms up to 500 kg.
MarbleSat-1 will deliver very-high-resolution optical imagery. Marble Imaging will use this data for security and environmental applications, from maritime surveillance to critical infrastructure monitoring and coastal resilience.
The satellite is part of Franco-German space cooperation, reaffirmed by the two governments at the 26th Franco-German Council of Ministers in July 2026. It gives that cooperation a concrete form: a German platform and mission, French propulsion.
"For years, we were told iodine would never leave the lab," said Ane Aanesland, founder and CEO of ThrustMe. "It has now logged more than 22,000 hours of in-orbit maneuvers. With the JPT150, we're bringing it to Hall thrusters, on a German satellite, with hardware delivered and integrated."
"Integrating a propulsion system that hasn't flown yet takes trust in your supplier. We made that call because iodine removes the pressurized tank and gives us back volume we're always short of. The JPT150 was delivered at the end of July and is now in integration," said Felix Motzki, Chief Technology Officer at Reflex Aerospace.
“I am very pleased that this Franco-German joint project, Marble’s first satellite, will soon be ready for launch. This marks the beginning of new, urgently needed independent capabilities for Europe. The market for sovereign data and analytics is huge, and our customers are already waiting for it,” said Alexander Epp, Chief Business Development Officer at Marble Imaging.
ThrustMe designs and manufactures electric propulsion systems for satellites. Founded in 2017 out of the CNRS and École Polytechnique plasma physics laboratory, the company has run its own research programme ever since and produces all of its systems in Verrières-le-Buisson, Essonne, at a rate of one system shipped per day. It was the first in the world to demonstrate iodine electric propulsion in orbit, with results published in the journal Nature in 2021. More than 500 systems have been delivered to more than 50 customers across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Reflex Aerospace is a manufacturer of high-performance, adaptable satellite platforms for commercial and defense applications. Based in Berlin and Munich, the company specializes in applying modern manufacturing techniques to reduce lead times and improve performance for critically important space infrastructure. Reflex Aerospace is committed to enhancing Europe’s strategic autonomy through innovation, speed, and sovereign capability development.
Marble Imaging is a Bremen-based Earth Observation company founded in August 2023 to deliver timely, actionable intelligence in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment. Marble is developing a sovereign European capability in very high-resolution optical satellite data and AI-driven insights for governmental and industrial decision-makers across security and environmental domains. Starting in 2027, Marble will operate its own constellation of VHR optical satellites leveraging new technologies generating more data faster, paired with fully self-developed AI tools that transform imagery into operational insights more rapidly than ever before.