Magdrive

Magdrive Ltd. is a UK space propulsion startup founded in 2019 by Mark Stokes (CEO) and Dr. Thomas Clayson (CTO), headquartered at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, developing high-thrust compact electric plasma propulsion systems that use solid metal as propellant. Magdrive's propulsion technology compresses and ionises metal propellant using onboard energy storage to generate high-energy plasma, achieving thrust levels significantly greater than conventional ion or Hall-effect thrusters of similar size and mass. The company's Rogue thruster is designed to fit within a CubeSat form factor, producing thrust in the range of tens of millinewtons for satellite constellation management, debris avoidance, and in-space servicing. Magdrive launched its first two flight thrusters to orbit via D-Orbit in June 2025 — the first orbital demonstration of the technology. In February 2025, the company raised $10.5 million in seed funding led by Redalpine, with participation from Founders Fund, Balerion Space Ventures, Entrepreneur First, and 7percent Ventures. Magdrive is developing its propulsion system with support from the University of Southampton and the UK Space Agency.