In this pitch, the presenter from Ienai (also referred to as EMI Space) outlines the challenges preventing small satellites from adopting onboard propulsion—high cost, limited power/volume/mass, variability across satellite sizes, and a lack of client expertise. To address these barriers, they propose a disruptive "maneuvering as a service" (MaaS) model comprising four components: (1) Athena, a lightweight, modular electrospray propulsion hardware that is ITAR‑free; (2) ENI Go, a free, open‑access propulsion design web tool; (3) ENI 360, a premium mission‑analysis service that delivers optimal thruster solutions; and (4) ENI Orbital (in development), which will generate near‑real‑time thruster controllers with minimal human input. The hardware leverages patent‑pending nanotechnology co‑developed with the Spanish National Research Council, delivering the highest efficiency in its power class. A prototype will fly on a Spanish pico‑satellite launched on a Firefly Alpha vehicle. The company differentiates itself by being client‑oriented: it tailors propulsion solutions to each satellite’s power budget and mission, and supplies the control laws, relieving customers of propulsion integration effort. The presenter demonstrates ENI Go’s workflow, showing how users input platform parameters, define maneuvers, and receive optimal propulsion sizing and propellant consumption data. The team consists of 13 multidisciplinary engineers, supported by Spanish public institutions such as CDTI. Market analysis projects over 35,000 small‑satellite launches by 2030 and a $1 trillion space economy by 2040, translating to a €10 billion addressable market for propulsion services (≈€6 billion for modules, €4.5 billion for analysis/operations). Financial forecasts aim for 10 % market share by 2028, generating >€400 million in revenue, with sales starting in 2023. The company is opening a €5 million Series A round to consolidate technology, test it in orbit, and launch sales. The pitch concludes with a confident statement that their work is "rocket science".
Chapters
Why do many platforms not carry onboard propulsion? Our market research shows us that this is due to 4 entry barriers: cost, satellite constraints in terms of available power, volume, and mass, satellite variability, because the optimal solution for a 10 kg satellite is very different from that of a 100 kg satellite, and fourth, a lack of dedicated knowledge on propulsion and propulsive manoeuvres in clients. Okay, this is very— sorry, this is one of the key slides and it is not showing at all. Is there anything we can do about this? Yes, this is better. Okay, so Not perfect, but better. Our solution to this problem is a disruptive business model that we call maneuvering as a service, and currently consists of three parts: our hardware solution Athena, which is our line of highly efficient, fully customizable propulsion systems, and two software tools: ENI Go, which is an open access propulsion design tool, and it's free to use. And I would invite anybody who's interested to try it out at go.eni.space. And our other tool, ENI 360, which is ENI Go on steroids, and this allows our team to provide in-depth mission analysis and optimal thruster solutions for our clients. Again, I have to fix this slide again. The next one. Yes, perfect. So our fourth part that is currently in the making is ENI Orbital, and this will allow us to generate thruster controllers for operation in near real-time with minimal human involvement. All this together is what we call maneuvering as a service, and it's an end-to-end business model aimed at streamlining propulsive phases during a satellite's mission. Stuck again. So, thank you. So maneuvering as a service is a stepping stone in our grander vision, which we call to be fleet ready. We're aiming to build and operate the world's first connected fleet of propulsion systems, and this will be a key element in the space mobility infrastructure of the future. Yes, so kind of the innovation at the heart of our hardware solution is a unique solution based on electrospray technology. And it uses patent-pending nanotechnology that we co-developed with the Spanish National Research Council. And this nanotechnology makes, makes it that Athena is the most efficient and lightest propulsion system in its power class. It is a fully scalable solution, and thanks to modularity, allows for a software-defined solution that can be optimized for any satellite platform. And also, it's not burdened by any ITAR restrictions. Ah, perfect. So, um, you've only seen renders up until now, and with these pictures I hope to show you that the technology is very real. This is, um, for this particular prototype we pushed the technology to its absolute limit. These thrusters weigh under 100 grams, and as you can see, they fit in the palm of your hand. These thrusters will fly on a Spanish Pico satellite mission that will be launched early this year on the next Firefly Alpha launcher. So you may have guessed that we are not the only propulsion provider out there. So what is our key differentiator? At EMI Space, due to our maneuvering as a service business model, we are much more client-oriented than our competitors. What we do is we first look at the platform of the client the available power, and their mission requirements. And then we generate a tailored solution that is optimized for the application. On top of that, we provide the thruster control laws, and in this way we completely unburden the client for air propulsion needs. Most customers— most of our competitors do this exactly the other way around, and we really don't think that that's a winning strategy. So to further illustrate this, let me walk you through our software tool, ENA GO. That is free to use at go.dni.space. And after registering, you can start a mission. And first, the tool will ask you to define your platform, the solar panels it has, the available power, what orbit it will start in, and any limitations on the thruster. Then you can add a maneuver. For instance, here we chose an inclination change of 5 degrees. You can put in various maneuver parameters. Parameters, and then you can click calculate maneuver. And for a mission, you can string together multiple maneuvers. And once you're done, the tool will show you a mission overview, give you an optimal propulsion solution, and also present you with interesting parameters in terms of propellant consumption and thrust impact. And DNI Go allows the customer to understand their propulsion needs, and for us, it's a lead generator and a way to understand the market. Before I wrap up, let me present our team. We are a team of a multidisciplinary team of 13 engineers at the moment. We hope to add more business-oriented profiles in the future. We're also supported by many Spanish public institutions, among them CDTI, and we're very grateful for their support. And it's the reason why we're here today. So some of you might be wondering how much of a market is really out there. Well, projections for small satellites put the number of satellites launched at over 35,000 by the end of this decade. And Morgan Stanley estimates the space economy to surpass $1 trillion by 2040. This is driven by many emerging applications such as Earth observation, IoT, quantum communications, and many others. And it's made possible by big players such as Planet and Amazon, but also, for instance, the Spanish Forza Systems. All these applications need onboard propulsion, so for us this translates into a serviceable obtainable market of more than €10 billion in the next 5 years. 6 billion of those will be propulsion modules, and the other 4.5 will be mission analysis and operations. Our financial projections estimate that we can consolidate 10% of this market by 2028, with over €400 million of revenue, and we will start sales and earnings in 2023, generating a backlog of orders and building confidence with our customers. If there's any investors in the audience, I'm happy to announce that we're opening a Series A round this year for a target investment of €5 million, Which allows us to consolidate the tech, test our tech in orbit, and launch our sales campaign. And I'd like to end by mentioning that what we do at Inria Space really is rocket science. Thank you, and apologies for the— Thank you.
