Interview With Adrian Senar, CEO and Co-Founder of Kreios Space

Welcome to another edition of Founders Spotlight! Today, we are featuring Adrián Senar, the CEO and co-founder of Kreios Space, a company dedicated to developing innovative electric propulsion technologies for satellites. Kreios Space aims to revolutionize the satellite industry by enabling the VLEO era. The company seeks to unlock new possibilities in Earth observation, telecommunications, and space exploration by providing a cost-effective and sustainable propulsion solution. Let’s hear Adrian’s inspiring story about Kreios Space.

Can you walk us through your founding journey at Kreios Space; how did you come up with the idea for the ABEP technology?

During my final degree thesis (2020), I discovered the very low Earth orbits topic in the scope of the DISCOVERER project, in which I carried out the study of the developments required to get an air-breathing electric propulsion technology to the market and also the financial needs that it would have. After this deep analysis, we saw a huge opportunity to create a startup around this topic, since it had all the elements for it. We had clear that the ABEP technology was the key to enable a huge new market for the satellite operators, that it had to be developed fast, and that it was intensive in capital, which made us start working towards it.

Once we started working on this project during November 2020, we rapidly started to get traction from the industry and gaining interest in our proposal from all the sides, being the key starting point the prize that we obtained in the Galactica Hackathon, which gave us the resources to establish the company and officially start working as Kreios Space. Since then, we have already developed three generations of ABEP, established key partnerships in the industry and raised over $2.6M in funding.

Can you explain how the Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) system works in simple terms? 

The Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) system is an innovative technology designed for satellites in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) that allows them to stay in orbit without using traditional fuel. Instead of relying on chemical propellants, the ABEP system uses the small amounts of atmospheric air found in VLEO as its propellant. This air is collected and then accelerated using electric energy generated from solar panels, which propels the satellite forward. The system is sustainable and eco-friendly, as it eliminates the need for fuel and reduces the environmental impact of space missions. Additionally, the ABEP system is cost-effective, capable of keeping satellites in orbit for up to 10 years. Although still in the early stages of development, this technology represents a significant advancement in space propulsion, offering a long-lasting and environmentally conscious solution.

Enabling very low Earth orbits is not a trivial thing, since it opens plenty of new opportunities for the space sector. Thanks to being this close to the Earth, the resolution from Earth observation imaging can improve up to nine times in comparison with the current satellites without needing to increase the costs, and when it comes to telecommunications, there is a huge reduction in the time that it takes to transmit the data and it can be done at a fraction of the costs, making it comparable to terrestrial telecommunications, but anywhere!

Congratulations on raising $2.6 million in funding! How do you plan to manage your cap table post this funding?

Thanks! We aim to be the first company to commercialize ABEP technology, and we are well aware that to do so more investment is required. That is why we are already raising our seed round, which will allow us to do an in-orbit demonstration of the technology, and after that we will aim for expansion funding as well.

What challenges did you face in developing the ABEP technology, and how did you overcome them to bring it to its current stage?

Developing cutting edge technologies as the ABEP has plenty of challenges that must be surpassed. I would say that the biggest challenge has been to assure the resources needed to firstly demonstrate the technology, since going from a slide presentation to a real product in the space industry requires plenty of money that most of the investors are not willing to risk. Once we have covered this, technological development becomes the biggest challenge and priority.

How does Kreios Space’s technology help mitigate space debris, and what impact do you hope to make in this area?

Space debris accumulation is one of the biggest concerns of the space industry, and the regulators are clearly moving towards a restrictive legal environment in this sense. Kreios Space solution will passively help in reducing the generation of space debris since, being this low, there are still remaining traces of air from the atmosphere, which make the satellites fall back to the atmosphere without needing for any extra deorbiting system, just by making usage of the atmospheric drag, avoiding any kind of space debris generation when orbiting in VLEO, even if there is any impact between satellites.

What potential applications do you see for ABEP technology beyond the current satellite market?

There might be plenty of them, which we are already foreseeing. The one that I feel that is more inspiring is the usage of ABEP systems in others planets atmospheres in order to deploy satellites near the surface in planets such as Mars, where the surface exploration might be really hard and these satellites could help a lot in this objective, or in Venus, where lots of scientific research about the atmosphere could be done thanks to these systems.  

How does Kreios Space plan to differentiate itself from other companies working on satellite propulsion systems?

We do not plan to compete with the current propulsion systems, since our value proposition is completely different. While current propulsion systems offer operations in orbit, we offer the possibility of staying at orbits completely new, in which the current propulsion systems do not stand a chance to maintain the satellites due to the high amount of propellant that they would require. In fact, our technology could be potentially compatible with other propulsion systems, so different operations in orbit could be easily done.

Can you share any insights into potential partnerships or collaborations that Kreios Space is pursuing to expand its reach?

We have already announced our key partnership with Deimos Space in order to build the first VLEO platform using an air-breathing electric propulsion system. This partnership allows us to fully develop a trustable satellite platform for any satellite operator that aims to orbit in the VLEO regime. We are now looking for partners willing to deploy the first mission in VLEO for a final user.

What are the biggest challenges for Kreios Space as it continues to develop and deploy its technology?

The biggest challenge that Kreios Space is facing right now is the in-orbit demonstration that we have planned for 2026. I would say this is the most critical point for any space startup willing to demonstrate and commercialize its technology, so we cross the fingers for it to go well.

What are your plans for scaling Kreios Space? How do you envision the company growing in the next 5-10 years?

We aim to be the reference company for VLEO space technologies, competing face to face (and also collaborating) with the big players of the space industry through the development of innovative solutions that disrupt the market. We do not just want to be a unicorn but to be a driving player for the humanity barriers expansion.