Pale Blue designs and manufactures fully integrated water‑based electric propulsion modules for small satellites, combining a thruster, fluidics, power electronics, and a pre‑filled water tank into a plug‑and‑play unit. By using non‑pressurized water as propellant, the systems eliminate high‑pressure fuel handling, offering compact thrust (0.35 mN–12 mN) with quick start‑up and proven flight heritage for orbit control, de‑orbit, and deep‑space maneuvers.
Funding
$10.2M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Small satellites often lack compact, reliable propulsion that can be quickly integrated without complex high‑pressure fuel handling, limiting their ability to perform orbit adjustments, de‑orbit, or deep‑space maneuvers. Existing electric thrusters typically require bulky hardware, extensive ground support, and on‑orbit fueling, which increases cost and risk for satellite operators.
Solution
Pale Blue provides fully integrated, water‑based electric propulsion modules for small satellites ranging from 0.5U CubeSats to 700 kg spacecraft. The systems combine a thruster head, fluidics, power processing unit, and a pre‑filled water propellant tank into a plug‑and‑play package that requires only simple command inputs to generate thrust. By using water—a non‑hazardous, low‑pressure propellant—the modules eliminate the need for on‑site fueling and reduce launch safety constraints. The product line includes miniaturized resistojet thrusters (PBR‑10, PBR‑20, PBR‑50) and a Hall‑effect thruster (PBH‑100) offering thrust from 0.35 mN to 12 mN with quick warm‑up times of a few minutes. Flight‑proven performance is demonstrated on missions such as EQUULEUS (lunar‑Lagrange point maneuver) and Sony’s SPHERE‑1 EYE, confirming stable operation over multiple years in orbit.
Target Audience
Primary customers are satellite integrators and operators of CubeSats, nanosats, and small‑sat platforms seeking compact, low‑risk electric propulsion for orbit control, de‑orbit, or deep‑space trajectory adjustments.
Features
- Fully integrated propulsion unit (thruster, fluidics, electronics, pre‑loaded water tank) in a compact 0.5U–2U envelope
- Non‑pressurized water propellant eliminates high‑pressure storage and on‑orbit fueling operations
- Quick start‑up (warm‑up ~4 minutes) and simple command‑based thrust control via RS‑422 interface
- Scalable thrust and power options: 0.35 mN–12 mN thrust, 6 W–50 W power, total impulse up to >7,000 Ns
- Plug‑and‑play design supports clustering for larger spacecraft and diverse mission profiles
- Industrial‑scale production with traceability and QCD optimization for rapid delivery and stable supply
- Flight heritage on multiple missions (EQUULEUS, SPHERE‑1 EYE, Sony STAR SPHERE) demonstrating long‑term reliability