Arkadia Space secures €14.5M for eco-friendly rocket thrusters
▼ Summary
– Arkadia Space is the first Spanish space company selected for the European Innovation Council Accelerator, receiving €14.5 million in combined funding.
– The company’s DARK system became Europe’s first hydrogen peroxide propulsion system flown in orbit, launched on a SpaceX mission in March 2025.
– Its technology offers a non-toxic alternative to standard but hazardous hydrazine fuel, potentially cutting operational and refueling costs by over 60%.
– The system uses a hypergolic bipropellant that ignites on contact, improving reliability for precision maneuvers and simplifying ground operations.
– Arkadia also develops the ARIEL thruster under ESA contract and aims for commercial deployment of its technology as early as next year.
A Spanish startup has secured a major €14.5 million investment to advance its eco-friendly satellite propulsion technology, positioning itself as a key player in Europe’s strategic shift away from toxic rocket fuels. Arkadia Space, based at Castellón Airport, is the first Spanish company selected for the prestigious European Innovation Council Accelerator, a highly competitive deep-tech funding program. This institutional backing signals strong European support for developing domestic alternatives to conventional, hazardous propellants.
For decades, the space industry has relied on hydrazine to maneuver satellites. While effective, this fuel is acutely toxic, carcinogenic, and highly flammable, requiring complex and costly safety procedures. Arkadia has spent five years developing a cleaner alternative. Its system uses a hypergolic bipropellant mix of high-concentration hydrogen peroxide and a proprietary green fuel. This combination ignites spontaneously on contact, removing the need for complex ignition hardware and improving reliability for precision orbital maneuvers.
The company’s DARK propulsion system achieved a critical milestone in March 2025. Launched aboard a SpaceX rideshare mission, it became the first hydrogen peroxide-based system to operate in orbit in Europe. Successful test firings confirmed its performance matched ground data. A key advantage is operational simplicity; hydrogen peroxide can be fueled at the launch site without the extreme hazards of hydrazine, potentially cutting pre-launch costs and timelines by over 60 percent.
Beyond the DARK system, Arkadia is developing the ARIEL monopropellant thruster under a contract with the European Space Agency. This 250-newton thruster, designed for launch vehicle control, rapidly reached a high technology readiness level. The company has already secured a contract to supply thrusters for the MaiaSpace reusable launch vehicle program.
The new funding package combines a €2.5 million grant, €6 million in equity from the EIC Fund, and €6 million in private investment. It will accelerate commercialisation, expand research and testing infrastructure at Castellón, and scale operations. Co-founder and CEO Francho García stated the investment arrives as the company has proven its market fit and performance alternative to toxic fuels, with a goal of commercial deployment as early as next year.
Arkadia claims it is the only company globally with hypergolic hydrogen peroxide technology at this advanced stage of development. This could make it a sole-source supplier for European programs aiming to eliminate hydrazine, especially as tightening EU chemical regulations may soon mandate this transition.
(Source: The Next Web)