Orbion Space Technology

About Orbion Space Technology

Orbion Space Technology provides plasma propulsion systems for the small satellite market, addressing a critical need for in-space maneuverability. The company was founded in 2016 by Dr. Brad King and Dr. Jason Sommerville and is headquartered in Houghton, Michigan. The founders leveraged their extensive background in space propulsion research, much of which was developed at Michigan Technological University, where King is a professor and leads the Ion Space Propulsion Lab. Recognizing a future demand for their specialized thrusters, they established Orbion to transition the technology from the lab to a commercial product.

The firm's core business revolves around designing, manufacturing, and selling its flagship product, the Aurora Hall-effect propulsion system. This fully integrated system includes a thruster, power processing unit, and propellant management, designed for mass production. Orbion’s business model focuses on direct B2B sales to satellite manufacturers and operators, including commercial entities and government agencies like the Department of Defense. The company generates revenue through the sale of these standardized yet configurable propulsion systems, with potential for long-term service and integration contracts. By bringing manufacturing in-house and adopting techniques from the automotive and tactical missile industries, Orbion aims to deliver reliable systems with a quick turnaround of 6-8 days, a significant reduction from the traditional 6-8 months.

The Aurora system uses Hall-effect thruster technology, which employs an electric field to accelerate xenon plasma, providing a gentle but highly fuel-efficient thrust. This allows small satellites to perform essential on-orbit maneuvers such as reaching their final destination after a rideshare launch, compensating for atmospheric drag, extending mission lifetimes, and executing a controlled de-orbit to prevent space debris. A key feature is a dual-mode operation that can increase thrust by a factor of 100 on demand, enabling agile collision avoidance. Orbion also offers the "El Matador" system, a lightweight addition for rapid evasive maneuvers. The company’s AS9100D certification underscores its commitment to quality management standards for the aerospace and defense industry.