16 February 2026

Ice2Thrust.Space and FIERCE: Joining Forces for a Sustainable Space Economy

Ice2Thrust.Space (S4I2T) is an EU-funded research project (Grant Agreement No. 101161690) developing a new paradigm for sustainable space mobility based on solar-electric water propulsion, autonomous in-orbit operations, and in-space resource utilisation (ISRU). Launched in September 2024 for a 36-month duration, the project brings together leading European research and industry partners to enable cleaner, safer, and more autonomous space missions.

At the heart of Ice2Thrust.Space is a next-generation propulsion system that uses water as a non-toxic, versatile propellant. Powered by solar energy, water is electrolysed into hydrogen and oxygen and converted into thrust, delivering high performance while simplifying storage, handling, and refuelling. This approach supports satellite life extension, reduces launch mass, and opens new opportunities for in-orbit servicing, robotics, and space manufacturing.

Beyond propulsion, Ice2Thrust.Space advances autonomous docking, and propellant refilling, supported by AI-enabled guidance, navigation, and control. In parallel, the project explores extracting and utilising water from icy regolith on celestial bodies, demonstrating an end-to-end “ice-to-thrust” process under representative laboratory conditions. Together, these capabilities form the basis of a future self-sustaining space mobility infrastructure. Recent scientific papers of the Ice2Thrust.Space team could be found here: https://zenodo.org/communities/s4i2t

To maximise impact and align with Europe’s long-term vision for space, Ice2Thrust.Space is partnering with Project FIERCE, an EU-funded initiative dedicated to building resilient and interoperable foundations for future space infrastructure. The collaboration enables strong cross-project synergies in sustainable in-space operations, autonomy, and system-level architecture design.

“By partnering, Ice2Thrust.Space and Project FIERCE jointly contribute to accelerating Europe’s transition toward a scalable, secure, and sustainable space economy.” Denitsa Georgieva, Senior Innovation Programmes Manager, Tech Tour

Together, the two projects reinforce Europe’s leadership in green space technologies, reduce reliance on Earth-supplied resources, and help lay the foundations for circular, solar-powered space operations capable of supporting the next generation of missions.

We’re excited about the future of space innovation and look forward to the impact this partnership will create. 🚀

 

Learn more about Ice2Thrust.Space:

Log in with your credentials

Forgot your details?