Persistent.
Multi-Capable.
Affordable.
The only CubeSat and smallsat-native architecture combining multi-band RF communications, optical transport, long-duration iodine propulsion, a modular COTS spacecraft bus, and electromagnetic cluster control in a single unified platform. Built for the missions that matter.
LEO IS NO LONGER
A PASSIVE ENVIRONMENT
About 40,000 objects are now tracked in orbit. Over 1.2 million debris objects larger than 1 cm are estimated to exist. Under 47 CFR § 25.283, a satellite reaches end-of-mission the moment it can no longer perform collision-avoidance maneuvers. Propulsion is no longer optional. It is a survivability and compliance requirement.
ESA Space Environment Report 2025
ESA Space Environment Report 2025
47 CFR § 25.283
From 2024 Fragmentation Events
CURRENT SYSTEMS
FORCE A CHOICE
YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO MAKE
Smallsat operators today can have a capable payload or a maneuverable platform. They cannot have both at cost. That constraint defines every mission compromise in the proliferated LEO era.
The communications architecture is fragmented. Government and commercial constellations cannot talk to each other. DARPA spent $31.9M in FY2023 on the interoperability problem alone. The propulsion architecture is supply-constrained. Xenon is scarce, expensive, and geopolitically exposed. Demand from mega-constellations is projected to outpace global supply within ten years.
Conventional Hall thrusters run on xenon stored at 10–20 MPa. Supply is geopolitically exposed. Russia and Ukraine are primary producers. Demand from mega-constellations will outpace supply within ten years.
Plasma sputtering of ceramic discharge channel walls ends thruster life at roughly 10,000 hours in unshielded designs. That is approximately 14 months of continuous operation. Not enough for long-duration missions.
A CubeSat needing S-band, X-band, Ka-band, and optical today requires separate subsystems for each function. Each adds mass, power budget, thermal load, and integration risk. The unified architecture does not commercially exist.
Government and commercial LEO constellations cannot interoperate. DARPA funded an entire program because satellites on different optical intersatellite link standards cannot exchange mission data. Proliferated space lacks standardization. Many crosslink systems are single-waveform, custom-made, and have little to no reconfigurability.
Imagery collected on one satellite system will not be immediately available to responders using a different one. That is not a technology problem. It is an architecture problem.
Source: DARPA Space-BACN Program Statement, 2021. $31.9M in FY2023. $32.1M requested FY2024.Current satellite communications payloads are designed for a single mission: one band, one function, one antenna. The satellite division breaks that constraint with wideband RF synthesis, optical transport, static laser pointing, and deployable antenna technology in a single CubeSat-native architecture.
The result is a smallsat that communicates across multiple frequency bands simultaneously, downlinks high-volume data optically without moving parts, and operates across LEO, lunar, and deep space mission profiles.
Multi-tone, multi-band high-frequency synthesis across Q-band (37–42 GHz), V/W-band (71–76 GHz), and K-band (18–26 GHz) in a single unit. No separate oscillator chains.
A single laser beam encodes and transmits multiple RF bands simultaneously using wavelength division multiplexing. Dramatically fewer transceivers. Higher data throughput per unit mass.
VCSEL/Photodetector array replaces fast-steering mirrors and gimbals. No moving parts. No vibration isolation platform required. Nanosecond pointing response. 64× laser power reduction vs. body-pointing.
Lightweight self-deployable helical antenna. Under 2 grams. Under 1.2 cm³ stowed. 10 dBi gain or higher. Integrates into existing deployable structures including thin-film solar arrays. One-tenth the mass of traditional arrays.
Xenon propulsion has defined smallsat maneuverability for two decades. The constraints are well known: high storage pressure, limited propellant density, supply chain fragility, and a thruster erosion clock that ends missions prematurely. Ibom Space propulsion addresses all four.
Iodine stores as a solid. It delivers comparable thrust performance to xenon at dramatically lower cost and storage pressure. Paired with a magnetically shielded Hall thruster architecture that reduces discharge channel erosion by a significant factor, the result is a propulsion system that keeps a smallsat on station longer than any xenon-based alternative in its power class.
Stores as a dense solid at very low pressure. No high-pressure xenon vessel required. Higher propellant mass per unit volume. Dramatically lower cost per kilogram. Supply chain independent of noble gas markets.
Sub-kilowatt power class. Greater than 120 kg propellant throughput. Nominal efficiency greater than 50%. Propellant throughput 2–5× that of existing flight heritage thrusters in the same power class.
Optimized magnetically shielded field topology dramatically reduces discharge channel erosion and front pole cover erosion vs. conventional designs. Extends operational lifetime to 50,000+ hours, a 5× improvement over unshielded thrusters.
Scalable PPU designed for 28V unregulated small spacecraft power systems. Each discharge module processes up to 500W. Phase-staggered design reduces electrical ripple and component count. Fault protection included.
ONE PROGRAM
TWO DIVISIONS
ONE ANSWER
Satellites and propulsion are not independent products. They are two divisions of a single architecture designed to answer a question the smallsat market has not answered.
CAELUM
Multi-band RF synthesis, optical transport, static laser pointing, and deployable antenna technology. Unified. CubeSat-native. No separate subsystems. No moving optical parts. Full-spectrum communications and sensing from a single payload.
Explore Caelum →HARTWIGG
Iodine-based Hall effect propulsion with a magnetically shielded thruster delivering 5× the operational life of conventional designs at a fraction of the propellant cost. Designed for the smallsat operators who cannot afford to stop.
Explore Hartwigg →A smallsat that communicates across multiple bands, senses across multiple domains, and maneuvers responsively is a fundamentally different mission asset than anything commercially available today. That is what Ibom Space is building.
THE FOUNDATION BENEATH
BOTH DIVISIONS
Satellites and propulsion sit on a validated spacecraft bus and cluster architecture. Two additional patents define how the platform is built, integrated, and evolved over time.
Modular Spacecraft Bus - COTSAT
A modular low-cost spacecraft bus enabling rapid integration of COTS electronics in a space environment. Distributed power, self-monitoring, four independent communications paths, modular software daemons per subsystem, and three-axis attitude control. Replicable. Updateable. Manufacturable at a fraction of traditional space-grade bus cost.
Electromagnetic Cluster Control - MEMRIC
A propellant-free nanosatellite clustering architecture using electromagnets and resonant inductive coupling for relative positioning and wireless power sharing. Each nanosat in a MEMRIC cluster houses a distinct subsystem: communications, propulsion, power, or computation, operating as a modular building block. The cluster evolves without redesigning the full platform.
THE WINDOW IS OPEN
IT WILL NOT STAY OPEN
The proliferated LEO era is not a future scenario. It is the present. The architecture decisions being made now will determine which platforms become the standard for government and commercial small satellite programs over the next decade.
The global small satellite market was valued at $6.79 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $18.09 billion by 2033. Communications dominates at approximately 95% of market share.
The North American market is the largest globally, driven by defense investment, commercial constellation build-out, and government science programs. Military and government segment growing at ~11% CAGR.
Mega-constellation build-out will exhaust xenon supply within ten years. The operators who transition to iodine propulsion now will not face the supply disruption and price volatility that xenon-dependent programs will.
Electric propulsion is the fastest-growing propulsion segment in the smallsat market. As mission lifetimes extend and constellation operators demand greater delta-v budgets, propulsion becomes a primary differentiator, not an afterthought.
IBOM SPACE IS
BUILDING ITS TEAM
We are in early program development. The program architecture is defined. The technology is validated at TRL 4. The market window is open. We are looking for the right people and partners to close the gap between laboratory and orbit.
We are looking for mission teams, constellation operators, or program offices ready to co-develop and fly the first demonstration of the Ibom Space architecture. A pilot partner gets early access to both divisions, shapes the performance requirements, and earns a permanent position in the development roadmap. This is how the gap between TRL 4 and orbit closes.
Explore Pilot Partnership →Ibom Space executes manufacturing through strategic partners. We are looking for manufacturing partners with smallsat payload, electric propulsion, or precision aerospace fabrication capability who understand what TRL 4 means and what it takes to go further.
Discuss Partnership →We are seeking government development partners through DARPA, AFRL, Space Force, SOCOM, and adjacent programs. If you are a program manager or technical lead evaluating emerging propulsion or communications architecture for a future mission, this conversation is worth thirty minutes.
Request a Briefing →Ibom Space is a deep tech program in early development. TRL 4. Verified technology foundation. Identified market gap. Active co-founder search. If you are a deep tech investor who understands the difference between a concept and a validated architecture, we want to talk.
Explore Investment →WHERE WE ARE
Both Satellites and Propulsion are at TRL 4. Component and breadboard validation in laboratory environment. Proof of concept demonstrated. The technology foundation is real. The development path is clear. The partners to execute it are what we are building now.
THE CONVERSATION
STARTS HERE
Whether you are a potential co-founder, manufacturing partner, government program office, or investor, the right next step is a conversation. Tell us who you are and what you are building. We will take it from there.