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AEXONLAB · NUCLEAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION STARTUP

PROPULSION BUILT FOR DEEP ORBIT SMALLSATS

Aexonlab is an early-stage startup designing compact reactors that power high-efficiency electric thrusters for 100–500 kg spacecraft — continuous thrust that doesn't fade with distance from the sun, at Isp chemical propulsion can't touch.

Explore the engine See the numbers
Design Isp0 s
Thrust class100–400 mN
Reactor power0 kWe
Engine mass<0 kg

REVOLUTIONIZING SMALLSAT PROPULSION

THE REACTOR IS THE POWER PLANT

Solar-electric thrusters are capped by whatever a panel can catch from the sun. Aexonlab's reactor generates electricity directly — feeding a Hall-effect thruster with dense, continuous power that doesn't fade with distance from the sun or vanish in a shadow.

Aexonlab nuclear electric propulsion schematic Xenon propellant flows from its tank through a flow controller directly to a Hall-effect thruster. Separately, the reactor core heats a power conversion unit, which generates electricity routed to the thruster, while a radiator rejects waste heat to space. RADIATOR REACTOR CORE · 1,150K POWER CONVERSION ELECTRIC POWER XE TANK · STORED FLOW FLOW CONTROL HALL THRUSTER IONIZED XENON

Xenon tank → flow control → Hall thruster, powered separately by reactor core → power conversion → electric power → thruster.

UNMATCHED FOR ITS CLASS

POWER THAT DOESN'T DIM WITH DISTANCE.

Figures below are per-mission design targets for a 200 kg-class spacecraft executing a 500 m/s orbit-raise.

0sDesign Isp
100–400mNThrust class
0kWeReactor power
0KCore temperature
HYDRAZINE230 s
AEXONLAB NEP2,500 s
ION (XENON)3,500 s
500 M/S ΔV MANEUVER · 200 KG-CLASS SPACECRAFT
MetricHydrazineSolar-electricAexonlab NEP
Thrust5–20 N40–80 mN100–400 mN
Burn time, 500 m/s≈ 6 min≈ 3–5 weeks≈ 4–6 days
Power source—Solar arrayReactor, always on
PropellantN₂H₄XenonXenon
Propellant mass≈ 45 kg≈ 6 kg≈ 5 kg
Engine module mass≈ 18 kg≈ 12 kg + array≈ 130 kg (target)

ENGINEERED FOR THE SHADOW, NOT JUST THE SUNLIGHT

THRUST THAT DOESN'T DIM IN ECLIPSE

Solar-electric propulsion goes dark every time a spacecraft passes through a planet's shadow — and loses power outright far from the sun. A reactor doesn't care where the sun is. Aexonlab's engine keeps thrusting through eclipse, at Mars, or anywhere in between.

Orbit shadow-transit diagram A satellite orbits a planet on an elliptical path, passing through the planet's shadow cone. Its engine flame stays lit continuously, including through the shadow, unlike a solar-powered alternative which would lose power there. SHADOW SOLAR-EP · NO POWER HERE EARTH AEXONLAB NEP · THRUST CONTINUES THROUGH SHADOW

Sunlit or in shadow, the reactor keeps the thruster powered through the full orbit.

SAFE BY DESIGN

DESIGNED AROUND THE SAFETY REVIEW

Every past space reactor effort — SNAP-10A, Prometheus/JIMO, Kilopower — had to answer the same question before it flew. Aexonlab designs the answer in from the first fuel-element drawing.

  • Sub-critical through ascentControl drums held at launch configuration keep the core at keff ≈ 0.95 — no self-sustaining fission reaction is possible during launch, ascent, or any credible abort scenario.
  • Nuclear & launch safety reviewDesign work targets compliance with national nuclear licensing and launch safety clearance requirements for nuclear-powered spacecraft, planned alongside hardware milestones.
  • Minimal radioactive inventoryA smallsat-scale core carries a small fraction of the fissile inventory of a terrestrial power reactor, by design.
  • High-orbit disposalMission planning targets end-of-life disposal in a long-lived storage orbit, consistent with orbital debris and nuclear safety guidance.

TEST PROGRAM

FROM REACTOR SIMULATION TO ORBITAL DEMO

PH-02025–26

Reactor design & simulation

Neutronics and thermal-hydraulic modeling of the core and power-conversion interface, ahead of any physical hardware.

PH-12026–27

Thruster & power testbed

Hall-effect thruster and power-conversion hardware validated on grid power, no reactor involved.

PH-22027–28

Electric core simulator

Reactor core thermal-hydraulics tested with resistive heating in place of fission, no fissile material.

PH-32028–29

Critical assembly

Low-power criticality testing planned at a licensed government test facility.

PH-42030

Orbital demonstration

Targeting a first in-space firing on a rideshare-launched technology demonstrator.

JOIN US

HELP US DESIGN THE FIRST ENGINE

Aexonlab is a small, early-stage team working toward our first ground test. If you want to help design a nuclear engine from a blank sheet — not maintain one that already flies — we want to hear from you. We don't have a public job board yet; write to us directly.

Reactor & nuclear engineering

Core physics, fuel-element design, criticality and shielding.

Electric propulsion & power systems

Hall-effect thrusters, power conversion, xenon feed systems.

Structures & systems integration

Vehicle interfaces, radiator and thermal management, ground test hardware.

Safety & regulatory affairs

Nuclear licensing pathways and launch safety case development.

Get in touch Select “Careers” as the inquiry type and tell us where you'd fit.

GET IN TOUCH

BUILDING A MISSION THAT NEEDS ΔV, NOT PATIENCE?

Tell us about your spacecraft, your orbit, and your timeline. Partnership, investment and press inquiries all reach the same inbox — we read every one.

Aexonlab HQ
LocationBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Coords12.9716°N, 77.5946°E
Emailcontact@aexonlab.com
ResponseWithin 2 business days · IST (UTC+5:30)
Sent straight to our inbox, resume included