Ane Aanesland, PDG et cofondatrice de ThrustMe – 30/06

Ane Aanesland, CEO and co-founder of ThrustMe, appeared on Tech&Co to explain her company’s novel satellite propulsion systems. ThrustMe, founded in 2017 and spun out of CNRS and École Polytechnique, manufactures propulsion units at its facility in Verrières-le-Buisson, south of Paris. The core innovation is a solid iodine propellant that replaces the traditional noble gases—xenon and krypton—used in most electric satellite thrusters.

How the propulsion works

Traditional electric thrusters for satellites use pressurized noble gases like xenon or krypton. These gases are stored in heavy tanks and require complex plumbing. ThrustMe’s system instead uses solid iodine. When heated, the iodine sublimates directly into a gas, which is then ionized to create plasma. The plasma is accelerated to produce thrust. Aanesland described the process as “very magic” and “extremely effective.” The key advantage is that solid iodine is much denser than compressed gas, so the same amount of propellant takes up far less volume and mass. This simplifies the entire satellite design: the propulsion system can be integrated as a single, compact unit rather than requiring separate tanks, valves, and plumbing from multiple vendors. “Before, you had four or five different technologies to integrate,” Aanesland said. “Now, we have integrated everything into one box.”