Air-Breathing Satellite Propulsion Targets Very Low Earth Orbit

Spanish startup Kreios Space developed an air-breathing electric propulsion system that collects atmospheric gases like oxygen and nitrogen as propellant. The system enables satellites to sustain very low Earth orbit at 100 to 400 kilometers without onboard propellant. First in-orbit test launches in 2028 on a Kongsberg NanoAvionics microsatellite bus.