Polish space propulsion company Liftero began a test campaign for its BOOSTER system in February this year. The system was launched into orbit last year as part of the RED5 mission aboard a SpaceX rocket. The telemetry data collected so far confirms that Liftero’s propulsion system is fully operational in space, including measurable orbital changes following multiple engine firings. All system parameters are performing nominally and in line with expectations, further validating the product’s flight heritage অর্জained last year and significantly strengthening its commercial potential.
In the first weeks of the test campaign, Liftero carried out more than 50 operations using the BOOSTER engine, successfully altering the orbit of the 6U RED5 satellite. The telemetry data confirmed the propulsion system’s performance and characteristics, including generated thrust, specific impulse, and thermal behaviour. The successful campaign and the existing flight heritage of Liftero’s flagship product confirm the company’s capabilities in propulsion technologies for the global space market and may positively affect the pace of acquiring further customers.
“The telemetry data clearly shows that the BOOSTER system is operating nominally in space, confirming the success of the RED5 demonstration mission. So far, we have performed more than 50 engine firings, successfully changing the satellite’s orbit. The system’s parameters are behaving in line with the specification and with our expectations. We will continue the tests, which will provide even more valuable data about the behaviour of the system, which remains fully functional and operational 12 months after launch. This is a success for the entire team and an important step in building Liftero’s commercial potential. We now have the flight heritage that is so critical in our industry, further reinforced by the results of our test campaign. We expect this combination of factors to positively influence both the pace of winning new contracts and their scale,” said Tomasz Palacz, CEO of Liftero.
RED5 is a demonstration mission designed to validate the operation of the BOOSTER system under real conditions in low Earth orbit. The propulsion system was integrated with a 6U CubeSat platform provided and operated by OrbAstro. Due to the size of the satellite, BOOSTER was configured with a single 1N engine while maintaining the full functionality of the propulsion system, including fuel tanks, the ECU control unit, and the health monitoring system.
The RED5 mission was launched into orbit in March 2025 as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-13 rideshare mission. OrbAstro is the mission operator and quickly established first contact with the satellite, beginning the activation of its individual subsystems. The first BOOSTER telemetry data was received within days of launch, confirming that the propulsion unit had reached orbit and was ready for further testing. In February 2026, OrbAstro enabled the launch of a full-scale test campaign, allowing Liftero to collect enough data to confirm the flight heritage achieved last year.
“Our propulsion system spent most of last year in orbit awaiting permission from the satellite platform operator to begin the full-scale test campaign. During that time, it was exposed to vacuum, cyclic temperature changes across a wide range, and even several solar storms. None of these adverse environmental conditions caused any anomaly in the operation of the BOOSTER system, which began broad testing in February this year after a long period of inactivity. This demonstrates not only the correct functioning of the propulsion system as a whole, but also its durability and resilience—equally critical factors for any space mission,” commented Przemysław Drożdż, COO of Liftero.
“The ability to present detailed data on BOOSTER’s performance in space is an important element of our business discussions with potential customers. We expect additional satellite launches equipped with Liftero propulsion systems later this year. At the beginning of March, we announced a contract for more than 10 engines for OrbitAID from India, with launch planned for the fourth quarter of 2026. We believe there will be more launch opportunities ahead—we are seeing growing demand and we are capable of meeting it,” added Przemysław Drożdż.
The first BOOSTER system used in the RED5 mission was developed and built by Liftero in around 15 months. Thanks to component standardisation and improved processes, the company can now deliver the system to customers within 6 to 9 months—significantly faster than its competitors. The system is a complete propulsion solution using non-toxic propellants (nitrous oxide and ethane), configurable for total impulse ranging from 5 to more than 250 kNs and for up to 14 engines in different thrust classes (1N, 5N and 20N). Liftero offers this solution for satellites weighing between 30 and 500 kg.
