Welcome to the future.
Washington, D.C. – Mar. 15, 2023 – IVO Ltd., the pioneer of capacitive-based technologies, today announced its pure electric thruster for satellites, the IVO Quantum Drive, will be aboard SpaceX Transporter 8. Hosted by IVO’s partner, Rogue Space Systems, the Quantum Drive-powered satellite will begin its journey to low Earth orbit on June 10, 2023.
After demonstration and baselining of the IVO Quantum Drive’s performance specifications, IVO Ltd. will provide propulsion for Rogue Orbots supporting Rogue’s high-mobility satellite servicing business model.
The IVO Quantum Drive is the world’s first commercially viable and available pure electric propulsion technology to achieve legitimacy via thermal vacuum testing. The thruster provides unmatched efficiency, achieving up to 52 mN from a single watt, with the ability to stack units to multiply thrust output.
Thrusters can be mounted in any orientation, enabling up to six degrees of freedom. This is accomplished solely via electricity, eliminating the need for liquid, solid, or gaseous fuels. Removing legacy fuel systems increases payload capacity while reducing spacecraft form factor. With zero emissions, the thruster can be mounted internally within a satellite.
“Quantum Drive’s small size and big capabilities help us develop incredibly efficient, lightweight, maneuverable, fuel-independent—and most importantly—cost-effective spacecraft,” said Brent Abbott, Chief Business Officer at Rogue Space Systems.
“Deploying Quantum Drive into orbit in a Rogue satellite on SpaceX Transporter 8 is a milestone for the future of space propulsion,” said Richard Mansell, CEO of IVO Ltd. “Quantum Drive enables Rogue to produce satellite vehicles with effectively unlimited delta-V.”
In 2021, Richard Mansell discovered that pure electric thrust is viable for spacecraft through a combination of mathematical modeling and empirical test data.
Mansell subsequently invented the IVO Quantum Drive. Because it uses only electricity and zero fuel, the system is self-contained and emission-free, enabling internal spacecraft installation. Its modular architecture allows scaling across multiple axes to meet a wide range of thrust requirements.
IVO Ltd. partnered with E-Labs of Fredericksburg, Virginia, to test and validate the Quantum Drive under the rigorous environmental conditions encountered in space.
Rogue Space Systems is engineering the first generation of orbital robots, known as Orbots™. As human presence in space rapidly expands, Rogue’s autonomous systems are designed to support satellite servicing, logistics, and infrastructure operations in LEO, GEO, and beyond.
Welcome to the future.