Arkadia Space secures €14.5M EIC backing for green propulsion tech

The European Innovation Council (EIC) has awarded €14.5 million to Spanish space company Arkadia Space, signaling significant institutional support for its innovative green propulsion technology. This substantial funding, comprising a grant, equity investment from the EIC Fund, and private capital, underscores Europe's strategic focus on bolstering its domestic capabilities in critical space sector technologies. Arkadia Space is developing a novel hypergolic bipropellant propulsion system utilizing high-concentration hydrogen peroxide and a proprietary green fuel. This advanced technology is engineered to replace hazardous hydrazine-based propellants, which face increasing regulatory restrictions across Europe due to their toxicity, thereby enhancing both safety and sustainability in space missions. The hypergolic nature ensures reliable, instantaneous ignition, simplifying ignition systems and improving precision for crucial maneuvers like spacecraft docking and lunar landings, while also projecting over a 60% reduction in operational costs. This EIC backing is crucial for Arkadia Space's commercialization efforts, following the successful in-orbit validation of its DARK propulsion system aboard a D-Orbit satellite in early 2025. The funding will facilitate further research and development, expand testing infrastructure, and scale commercial operations, aiming to establish a European alternative in the space propulsion market and contribute to the continent's digital sovereignty in space-faring technologies.