Innovation Signal 50 (2026) | 19 August 2026
Satellites are getting closer to using the atmosphere as propellant.
Short note, about 5 minutes to read.
What happened
Using the thin atmosphere around satellites in very low orbits as propellant is not a new idea. Researchers have explored and tested different approaches for years. What is changing is the ability to demonstrate an integrated system that can collect atmospheric material and generate more thrust than the resistance created by collecting it.
Experimental air-breathing propulsion → integrated collection and propulsion → positive net thrust
Researchers at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, working through a European Space Agency-supported project, have tested a system under conditions designed to represent very low Earth orbit. The system collects some of the extremely thin atmosphere surrounding a satellite and uses electricity to accelerate that material to produce thrust (air-breathing electric propulsion). Recent testing achieved positive net thrust, meaning the system produced more thrust than the resistance associated with collecting the atmospheric material.
Independently, researchers at Texas A&M University have been developing another approach that uses atmospheric gas in a compact electric thruster. Their recent experiments have demonstrated another way of generating thrust from gases available in the surrounding environment while exploring how the system performs under different operating conditions.
Together, these developments suggest that using atmospheric material for satellite propulsion is moving beyond demonstrating that the underlying idea works and towards understanding how these systems could generate useful thrust under conditions relevant to very low Earth orbit.
Why this matters
Satellites operating very close to Earth encounter small amounts of atmosphere. Although the air is extremely thin, the resulting resistance gradually slows them down and causes them to lose altitude.
Satellites can use onboard propellant to counter this effect, but the amount they can carry is limited. Once that propellant is depleted, maintaining the orbit becomes difficult.
If satellites can instead collect atmospheric material around them and use it to generate thrust, some future spacecraft could reduce their dependence on propellant carried from Earth. This could make longer operations in very low Earth orbit more practical.
Who should care
- Satellite manufacturers and operators
- Earth-observation companies
- Telecommunications companies
- Space agencies and research organisations
- Electric-propulsion and spacecraft-component companies
- Investors tracking emerging space infrastructure
What could change over the next 2 to 3 years
The next important step will be moving from ground-based experiments towards demonstrating these systems in orbit.
Researchers may also improve how efficiently atmospheric material can be collected, how much thrust can be produced from it and how much electrical power the system requires.
If those advances continue, very low Earth orbit could become more practical for some satellite missions, particularly where operating closer to Earth offers advantages such as higher-resolution observation or lower communication delays.
What might block this
The atmosphere at these altitudes is extremely thin and varies with altitude and conditions, making it difficult to collect enough material consistently.
The complete system must also generate sufficient thrust without requiring impractical amounts of electrical power. The intake, thruster and other components would need to operate reliably for long periods in a demanding orbital environment.
Most importantly, the recent positive-net-thrust result was demonstrated experimentally under conditions designed to represent very low Earth orbit, not on an operational satellite in space. Considerable development and in-orbit testing are still required.
Why I am sharing this
Satellites operating very close to Earth have traditionally depended on propellant carried onboard to counter the atmospheric resistance that gradually pulls them towards lower orbits.
If air-breathing propulsion continues to mature, some future satellites could instead draw part of what they need for propulsion from the thin atmosphere around them.
The first change is unlikely to be satellites operating indefinitely without onboard propellant. It may instead be a gradual reduction in how dependent some very-low-orbit missions are on the propellant they carry at launch.
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Archive Tags
Space · Satellites · Propulsion · Very Low Earth Orbit