Liftero, a Polish manufacturer of propulsion technologies for space missions, has completed the final review of a €250,000 project carried out for the European Space Agency (ESA). The goal of the project was to design and preliminarily qualify the manufacturing processes for the thrust chamber used in BOOSTER, the company’s chemical, non-toxic propulsion system. The milestone marks another step forward in strengthening Liftero’s capabilities in the scalable production of propulsion systems for the rapidly expanding space sector.
The project, titled Advanced Manufacturing of the Thrust Chamber for Nitrous Oxide-Based Propulsion, began in June 2025 under the General Support Technology Programme (GSTP), financed through Poland’s contribution to ESA. Liftero delivered the project in full compliance with ECSS standards, the framework developed under the European Cooperation for Space Standardization. The results were presented to and verified by a broad group of ESA experts.
The solutions developed במסגרת the project have already been implemented in BOOSTER systems, reinforcing Liftero’s technological advantages and improving the company’s readiness for scalable, serial production of its proprietary propulsion units for the growing satellite market. Poland’s contribution to ESA was increased once again in November 2025. For the 2026–2028 period, it will total €731 million, up 47%, with €50 million allocated to the GSTP, an increase of 196%, and €48.5 million allocated to the Space Transportation System programme, up 169%. Liftero has already completed several ESA projects, building key internal capabilities and confirming its ability to work in line with ECSS requirements, which may influence both the number and value of future ESA contracts.
“The completion of this project with the European Space Agency is an important step in building Liftero’s technological and manufacturing advantage,” said Tomasz Palacz, CEO of Liftero. “The project was carried out in accordance with rigorous ECSS standards, and we have already implemented its results into the production processes of our BOOSTER system. The selected thrust chamber design lowers the manufacturing cost of the entire propulsion unit, enables high and stable performance, and shortens customer lead times. This allows us to respond even better to the needs of satellite operators by offering a complete product and professional service, from fast and competitive quotations, through delivery within around six to nine months, to reliable and rapid orbital manoeuvres.”
The project carried out for ESA since June 2025 focused on qualifying the manufacturing processes for the thrust chamber used in BOOSTER’s chemical, non-toxic propulsion systems. One of the key innovations in Liftero’s product is its proprietary thrust chamber with unique regenerative cooling. This solution improves the engine’s thermal performance by keeping chamber temperatures below 300°C, eliminating limitations on burn duration and helping maintain high efficiency. It also makes it possible to use stainless steel, which is significantly more available and cost-competitive than the high-temperature materials used in many alternative solutions. The entire thrust chamber structure is produced using 3D printing, which supports scalable manufacturing and the short delivery times increasingly expected by the market.
The project results were presented to and positively assessed by ESA experts, including detailed inspection, quality control and functional testing, among them a hot-fire test performed on a dedicated test stand. The successful completion of the final review supports ongoing discussions about further projects that Liftero may carry out under Poland’s expanded ESA contribution, contributing to the development of national space capabilities in propulsion technologies.
“The successful completion of the final ESA project review comes at a time of clearly rising investment in the European space sector and growing Polish activity in this field,” said Przemysław Drożdż, COO of Liftero. “As an ESA-verified entity, we can serve as a subcontractor for many initiatives financed under Poland’s increased contribution, which has reached a record €731 million. We are discussing these programmes with ESA and will seek further projects both independently and by proposing complementary solutions in cooperation with selected partners.”
BOOSTER is a propulsion system based on non-toxic propellants and designed for satellites in the 30 to 500 kilogram class. It is a comprehensive solution that can be configured to deliver total impulse ranging from 5 to more than 250 kNs and can include from one to fourteen engines across different thrust classes, including 1N, 5N and 20N. The first BOOSTER system was launched into orbit in March 2025 as part of the RED5 mission. It continues to operate nominally in orbit, confirming its performance in space conditions and giving the company the flight heritage that is so critical in the space industry.
