ECAPS Announces Breakthrough Fast-Start Thruster (FAST) Technology

Solna, Sweden — October 2025 — ECAPS AB, Sweden’s leading propulsion technology provider, has announced successful testing of its new Fast-Start Thruster (FAST) technology, a major advancement that enables LMP-103S liquid propulsion systems to reach operational temperature and full readiness within 48 seconds of ignition.

The innovation addresses one of the long-standing challenges of liquid propulsion: the extended pre-heating required before engine activation. By combining the responsiveness of solid propulsion with the controllability and precision of liquid systems, ECAPS’ FAST technology establishes a new operational standard for rapid-deploy spacecraft and dual-use mobility platforms.

ECAPS will fully commercialize the technology in 2026, offering customers full range integration into various thrust classes, ranging from 22N to multi-kN. The technology will also serve applications in auxiliary systems.

Addressing the Liquid Propulsion Delay

Conventional liquid propulsion systems, including those based on hydrazine, high-test peroxide, or other oxidizers, typically require several minutes, or even up to an hour, of catalyst bed pre-conditioning before ignition. This limits responsiveness and flexibility, particularly for missions that demand short-notice maneuvering or quick-reaction capability.

The FAST architecture, developed around ECAPS’ proprietary LMP-103S propellant, overcomes this limitation through an optimized thermal management design and a new catalyst preconditioning method. The result is immediate readiness and repeatable ignition, while maintaining high specific impulse, stability, and long-term storage performance.

Demonstration and Results

For the last two years, ECAPS has been conducting full-scale qualifications campaigns on its 22N LMP-103S-based thruster at the company’s Grindsjön propulsion test facility. In mid-2025, the FAST-enabled configuration achieved ignition-to-operation temperature stabilization in around 48 seconds, representing a ten-fold reduction in pre-heating time compared to conventional liquid systems of similar class.

Testing confirmed repeatable performance across multiple duty cycles, validating the system for both spacecraft attitude control and dual-use propulsion modules requiring high precision and rapid deployability.

Upon completion of ECAPS’s qualifications campaigns, FAST aims to further expedite pre-deployment preheating, targeting full thruster readiness in under 10 seconds.

Operational and Strategic Relevance

The FAST concept directly supports emerging mission profiles impacted by orbital congestion and characterized by time-critical deployment and on-demand maneuvering, key for both commercial and government operators.

“FAST bridges the gap between responsiveness and precision,” said Odysseas Christofi, CEO of ECAPS. “By cutting pre-start conditioning times from minutes to under a minute, we enable a new class of mobility for operators who must reposition or deploy assets rapidly in dynamic orbital environments.”

Building on this achievement, ECAPS has been awarded a dual-use development contract to design and qualify a FAST-based gas generator and thruster system, extending the technology to both space and defense power applications. This program will demonstrate rapid-start ADN propulsion modules suitable for orbital vehicles, auxiliary power units (APUs), and tactical propulsion systems.

Commercial Availability

As part of its technology roadmap, ECAPS will make the FAST-enabled LMP-103S thrusters and gas generator systems available to commercial and institutional customers starting in 2026. The technology will be offered both as stand-alone propulsion components and as part of ECAPS’ integrated propulsion system line for spacecraft and dual-use applications.

Next Steps

ECAPS’s campaign ensues, and FAST is targeting full qualification in 2026. This includes the technology’s integration with upcoming orbital vehicle and satellite platforms within ECAPS’ international program portfolio.

About ECAPS

Founded in 2000 and based in Solna, Sweden, ECAPS AB is the global provider of High-Performance Green Propulsion (HPGP) technology. The company develops and manufactures propulsion systems using LMP-103S, an ammonium-dinitramide-based propellant offering high performance, low toxicity, and reduced ground handling costs.

For media inquiries: info@ecaps.se