Singapore firm and UK partners build cheaper, greener satellite engine that runs on water

Aliena’s chief technology officer George-Cristian Potrivitu showing the firm’s cathode igniting on the first try with hydrogen. - ALIENA

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A local firm, together with a British company and academics, has built a satellite engine that runs on water – a cheaper and more environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional engines propelled by expensive rare gases.

The new AquaHET engine is an optimised version of Hall-effect thrusters commonly used to fly satellites in space by accelerating ions – usually of a noble gas – out of the engine to create a propulsive force.