Aurora Propulsion Technologies, founded in Espoo, Finland, in 2018, supplies small satellites with water-fuelled thrusters and a deorbiting device called the Plasma Brake. Its EIC project focused on "the industrialization of Aurora Plasma Brake (APB)", which it described as "a novel patented zero propellant microtether-based solution for quick & safe deorbiting of SmallSats", pitched at a market of "3,500+ satellites to be launched in 2027", according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,386,562 towards a €3.41 million project from February 2023 to April 2025, and the award also included equity, according to a company release carried by SpaceNews. The report says the critical deployment functions were tested on a breadboard, a CubeSat version called "TunaCan" was qualified, and a flight model "was manufactured and delivered to a pilot customer". It says an in-orbit validation plan has been defined and an autonomous version designed. Aurora's website lists three Plasma Brake tethers launched, including one on the Wisdom satellite in November 2025.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Aurora Propulsion Technologies Oy, business ID 2940065-7, Espoo
- Registered
- 17 September 2018
- Products
- ARM resistojet thrusters, Plasma Brake, TunaCan Plasma Brake
- Named customers
- SpeQtral, C3S, Gyeongsan National University
- Seed investors
- Practica Capital, Tesi, The Flying Object
- EIC project
- 1 Feb 2023 to 30 Apr 2025, closed
- EIC funding
- Blended finance: grant plus equity
Where Aurora Stands Now
Aurora now sells itself as a maker of "propulsion systems for maneuvers in space" that are "ITAR-free", with a European supply chain and a pitch to defence customers. Its mission list shows a Plasma Brake due on SpeQtral-1 in 2026, thrusters for a confidential South Asian customer and the JinjuSat-2 university satellite, and an autonomous Plasma Brake demonstration planned for 2027. The Finnish trade register shows the company active, with a new web address registered in April 2026.
"After design verification and qualification testing of the Engineering Model, a Flight Model was manufactured and delivered to a pilot customer for integration and testing."
Aurora Propulsion Technologies, report to the EICThe Technology: Coulomb Drag
The Plasma Brake unreels thin aluminium tethers from a satellite and charges them to minus 1 kilovolt. The charged tether interacts with plasma in the upper atmosphere, creating drag that lowers the orbit until the satellite re-enters the atmosphere. It needs no propellant and can work for satellites up to 500 kg and altitudes up to 1,500 km, the report says. Regulation is pushing demand: the US FCC now requires low-orbit satellites to be removed within five years of their mission ending.
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The project was to industrialise the Plasma Brake. The report documents breadboard testing, a qualified CubeSat version, a delivered flight model and an autonomous design. It does not report an in-orbit deorbit, which remains the decisive test. CORDIS lists the project as closed.
- Deployment functions testedDeliveredBreadboard model.
- Flight model deliveredDeliveredTo pilot customer.
- In-orbit deorbitNot reportedValidation plan only.
- Autonomous brakeDesignedDemo planned 2027.
The Money
Aurora's €1.7 million seed round in September 2021 was led by Practica Capital with Tesi and The Flying Object, according to Tesi. Finnish company accounts are available only through paid services, so its revenue and losses are not public. The size of the EIC equity investment has not been announced.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
How much equity the EIC Fund invested, whether any Plasma Brake has deployed its tether and lowered an orbit, and how much Aurora earns from its thrusters and brakes are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
The report counts 23,000 large pieces of space debris, and the EU is preparing space law that includes debris mitigation. A cost-effective, propellant-free deorbit device made in Europe would help satellite operators comply. The EIC is backing one; the in-orbit proof has yet to be published.
What the project promised
An industrialised Plasma Brake ready for large-scale supply to satellite makers.
What the record shows
A qualified CubeSat brake, units launched on customer satellites and no published deorbit yet.
The Verdict
In orbit, not yet proven
Aurora turned the Plasma Brake into flight hardware with EIC support, and customers are flying it. Whether it actually brings satellites down is the result still missing.
Aurora Propulsion Technologies and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
