Enabling & Support
19/12/2025
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In brief
- Spanish company Arkadia Space has developed a new 250 N monopropellant thruster called ARIEL.
- ARIEL runs on storable propellants and is ideal for orienting reusable launchers.
- The thruster was developed with the European Space Agency’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme.
- Arkadia developed the engine in just two years from contract signature, with first firing after just seven months.
In-depth
Many satellites and rockets have two types of engines, one for moving large distances and one for controlling their orientation, or attitude. ARIEL (Attitude for Reusable and Innovative European Launchers) is a new thruster developed to be part of a reliable and affordable Reaction Control System that adjusts orientation of space transportation vehicles.
ARIEL uses hydrogen peroxide as fuel which is more sustainable and less toxic than the hydrazine commonly used in most reaction control systems. It is one of the first hydrogen peroxide monopropellant thrusters of this size in Europe. Providing thrust of up to 250 N, it could suspend a 25 kg sack of cement on Earth, more than enough to orient a spacecraft or steer a rocket.
The European Space Agency (ESA) Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP) prepares European industry for the future space ecosystem, supporting companies with promising technology for the future. The first test firing was done just seven months after signing the initial contract in June 2023. The engine has now passed an extensive test campaign at the Arkadia Space Test Center in the Castellón airport, Spain, reaching technology readiness level six within two years from the contract signature.
The project includes tank prototypes that feed the ARIEL thrusters with its propellant, even operating in efficient ‘blowdown mode’ whereby the hydrogen peroxide gases in the tank push the liquid fuel to the engine.
Introducing the 250 N ARIEL thruster
Hydrogen peroxide over hydrazine
Three ARIEL thrusters in a row
ARIEL runs on 98% pure highly-concentrated hydrogen peroxide, replacing commonly-used hydrazine with a safer, more sustainable, and cheaper alternative. Used as a fuel for spaceflight, hydrogen peroxide allows for a simpler control system, easier handling on ground, and lower costs compared to using hydrazine. In addition hydrogen peroxide can reduce emissions by up to 40% in the atmosphere compared to hydrazine over a sustainability life-cycle assessment.
Testing, 1,2,3
Arkadia built a test bench inhouse to withstand the thrust and long burns over repeated cycles needed to thoroughly test ARIEL.
Throughout the campaign ARIEL proved itself by performing:
- over 178 seconds of specific impulse in vacuum
- continued steady firing up to 5 minutes
- firing in short pulses of just 40 milliseconds
- over 2000 pulses in total per engine
- over 100 kg of hydrogen peroxide fired per engine
“We are very happy to see the results of this project,” says ESA’s Bernard Decotignie, “Arkadia showed a quick turnaround, and the results speak for themselves, it was a great collaboration with our propulsion experts working closely together to achieve a robust, innovative product and in record time.”
“Thanks to the FLPP contract and ESA experts’ guidance, we managed to develop a thruster that rapidly got market traction. Following the activity, ARIEL has continued to evolve, demonstrating soon its capability as a product ready to be sold,” says Ismael Gutierrez, Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer of Arkadia Space, “we are excited to have won the contract to supply ARIEL as the thruster for the reaction control system of MaiaSpace, and we hope soon to sign more contracts related to reaction control systems for big spacecrafts and space vehicles. The ESA FLPP contract has been instrumental for us”
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