SITAEL took part in the 10th Edition of the Space Propulsion Conference, held in Bari, the international forum supporting the preparation of future activities and roadmaps across all fields of space propulsion.

During the conference, SITAEL participated in technical sessions, round tables, and industry discussions focused on electric propulsion, orbital propulsion manufacturing, mission readiness, and future space mission requirements, contributing technical insights and engaging with the space community on the latest developments in space propulsion.

Among the key highlights, SITAEL presented a series of recent achievements in electric propulsion.

Together with Sapienza Università di Roma, SITAEL shared progress on air-breathing electric propulsion, an innovative and patented concept designed to enable sustained operations in Very Low Earth Orbits by using residual atmospheric particles as propellant. The technology is being further advanced through an ESA contract, including an experimental campaign in both standalone thruster and spacecraft-representative configurations.

SITAEL also announced the successful long-life test of the SPARK Hall Effect Thruster, the first Italian electric thruster already flown in 2023. As part of its ground qualification, the thruster reached 3,200 hours of firing time and a total impulse of 114 kNs, with no thrust degradation and confirmed structural integrity after visual and X-ray inspections. This result makes SPARK ready for long-duration space operations and positions it as the European thruster in its power class with the longest demonstrated lifetime.

Finally, SITAEL presented the first characterization of PULSE 1K, its new sub-kilowatt Hall Effect Thruster designed for satellite constellations. Operating in the 300 W to 1,000 W range, PULSE 1K combines long lifetime, competitive cost, and high production rate, offering performances fully aligned with customer requirements.

Press Coverage:

• ANSA: A Bari la conferenza mondiale sulla propulsione spaziale, ‘settore in crescita’
• Corriere della Sera: Pertosa rilancia: «Più investimenti nello spazio con Sitael»
• La Repubblica: Space Propulsion International Conference sbarca in Italia: attesi oltre 800 partecipanti internazionali
• ItalyPost: Bari capitale delle tecnologie di propulsione. Per la Puglia vale il 2% del Pil
• La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno: Bari capitale della propulsione spaziale: oltre 800 esperti da 35 Paesi per la conferenza internazionale «Space Propulsion»