Austria's GATE Space: Space revolution starts in 2026 with the first satellites!

Austria's GATE Space: Space revolution starts in 2026 with the first satellites!

GATE Space, an innovative Austrian space startup, has reached a significant milestone. In 2026, the company will send a satellite into space for the first time with a specially developed engine, on board a SpaceX rocket. The technology, which was developed by a team of TU graduates, took three years of intensive work to reach market maturity noe.gv.at reported.

Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner congratulated the company and emphasized the importance of innovations from Lower Austria. CEO Moritz Novak was positive about the company's progress and the high demands on precision and reliability in space.

Technological innovations

GATE Space develops compact engines that enable precise and flexible satellite control. The technology uses patented processes and environmentally friendly fuels and does not require additional compressed gases. Moritz Novak also announced that the team is ready for the upcoming space mission and that further details will be announced in summer 2025.

The interest in this novel technology is remarkable. Loud GATE Space Numerous international customers have expressed interest, and the company has already received three contracts from the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2024. Franz Viehböck, Austria's only astronaut and investor in GATE Space, highlights the company's enormous potential. The upcoming rocket launch strengthens Austria's growing role in international space technology.

The future of drive technologies

At the same time, revolutionary propulsion technologies could further transform space travel in 2025. Technologies such as ion engines and electrothermal engines promise greater efficiency and range for future missions. These new technologies could enable not only longer space missions, but also travel to more distant destinations, fueled by massive investments from countries and companies, such as techzeitgeist.de determines.

The ion engines, which use electric fields to accelerate ions and reach speeds of over 200 km/s, and electrothermal engines, which use plasma, could significantly increase the efficiency of space travel. Conventional chemical propulsion systems are less efficient in comparison. Developments in propulsion technology could fundamentally change the fundamentals of space travel and enable new scientific findings.

Overall, the committed work of GATE Space and the progress of propulsion technologies shows the growing potential of the space industry, not only in Austria but worldwide. With a clear focus on innovation and efficiency, this development could permanently change the face of space travel.