Satellites play a crucial role in our lives, powering everything from instant card authorisations to international videoconferencing.

The cost of heavy launches in low-Earth orbit (LEO) has fallen by 95 percent in the last sixty years. Previously seen as the domain of government agencies, startups like SpaceX have led the charge in space tech.

With fifty new satellites taking to the sky every week, improvements in the infrastructure segment are key to power the space economy.

Propulsion systems are used by satellites/spacecraft to lift off, travel through space and adjust their orbits around Earth. However, the cost of these systems is a huge hurdle for space businesses.

Current propulsion systems are expensive, unsustainable and rely on time-consuming manufacturing processes.

Second Star is developing a new chemical propulsion system that is cheaper, sustainable and quick to produce.

Cost - Leverage a new manufacturing technique (2D+ fabrication) to achieve high performance at a low price point

Scalable - Reduce the build time from three weeks to two days

Sustainable - Use a hydrogen-oxygen propellant to avoid toxic alternatives

Founder

Mike Curtis-Rouse, Co-Founder & CEO - Previously Head of In-Orbit Manufacturing at SA Catapult and Lead Manufacturing Technologist at Reaction Engines.

Dr Charlie Muir, Co-Founder & CTO - Previously Rocket Propulsion Engineer at SA Catapult and URA Thrusters. PhD - Electrolysis Spacecraft Propulsion, Imperial College London

William Birch, Co-Founder & COO - Previously Senior BDM at SA Catapult and Senior Consultant at Henderson Scott.

Spotlight Analysis

Strengths

• Domain expertise: the team brings extensive experience in the commercial space market, strengthened by the CTO’s PhD in space-craft propulsion

• Early traction: successfully tested the first hydrogen-oxygen aerospike engine in Europe and part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Business Incubation Centre

• Strong tailwind: explosive growth for propulsion due to end-of-life regulations and cluttered orbit space requiring satellites to increase the number of manoeuvres

Weaknesses

• Product risk: without successful live case studies, there is an ongoing question of whether the product will deliver as expected

• Sales cycle: commercial teams will run on average two year sales cycles with pre-orders etc.

Market

Dawn Aerospace - Raised $30m Series A from undisclosed investors in May 2022

Impulse Space - Raised $45m Series A from RTX Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Founders Fund, Lux Capital and others in July 2023

Key Details

Year founded: 2022

Summary: Second Star is developing a new chemical propulsion system that is cheaper, sustainable and quick to produce.

Currently raising: Yes, raising £4m

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