Genergo, an Italian deep-tech company based in Como, comes out of the closet and unveils an innovative electromagnetic space-propulsion system that uses no propellant, has been successfully flight tested and validated in three space missions and is protected by a portfolio of granted international patents.
Propulsion-equipped operational satellites carry propellant on board to perform orbital maneuvers, maintain position, and, in some cases, perform end-of-life atmospheric reentry. Propellant increases volume and adds mass – often further increased by the hardware required to manage it (pressurized tanks, control valves, feed lines) – brings operational risks (leaks, explosions), and is, by definition, a finite resource. Once exhausted, the spacecraft is no longer mobile and the mission ends.
Zenergo’s system generates thrust by converting electrical energy directly into thrust via controlled electromagnetic impulses, without using any propellant and expelling reaction mass. According to company information, it is the first space-propulsion system worldwide capable of operating without propellant, flight-tested and validated on orbit, and it represents a clear departure from current standards. By design, the technology is scalable and operates with modest power requirements.
The system also exhibits a highly sustainable profile: it uses no hazardous or toxic materials, requires no pressurized components to be stored on board, and poses no risk of contaminating the space environment – either during operations or upon atmospheric reentry.
In the first attempt and within a few months, after passing all mission launch-qualification tests to the industry’s most stringent standards, the technology accumulated more than 700 hours of on-orbit operation across three missions launched between 2022 and 2023. The missions – still ongoing – were launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter rideshare campaign (Transporter-5, -6 and -9) and hosted on de-orbit. ION Satellite Carrier spacecraft (platforms designed by Fino Mornasco, an Italian company based in Como, are also used to carry and qualify emerging technologies in space). Over the past two years, several on-orbit activation cycles have continued along with data analysis and characterization activities; Additional trials are planned to further characterize the technology.
The missions confirmed system functionality in real space conditions, bringing the technology to a maturity level equivalent to TRL 7-8 (Technology Readiness Level). As additional confirmation of the results, several long-duration tests were conducted, objectively and repeatedly observing that motor activation produced measurable acceleration or deceleration of the host spacecraft.
The performance achieved so far by the flight-tested prototypes is already in line with market requirements for specific mission profiles.
Several Italian organizations contributed to the project, including:
Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB) At the Politecnico di Milano, for laboratory bench measurements;
Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DAER) at the Politecnico di Milano, which developed the spacecraft dynamics model for the on-orbit analysis of the first mission and prepared the motor electromagnetic-emissions report required during initial qualification for on-orbit acceptance;
One independent company Expertise in high-technology solutions, which validated results in the classroom using a comprehensive set of methodological approaches, ensuring robustness and replicability of observed performance.
Genergo’s technology opens up new perspectives for space missions.
In addition to further orbital missions planned for continued development, the first commercial application will be controlled deorbit – that is, lowering the satellite’s orbit to guide atmospheric re-entry and ensure burn-up at the end of the mission.