ThrustMe, a New-Space startup developing gamechanging space propulsion systems, accumulates awards

ThrustMe, a French NewSpace startup founded in February 2017 and spun off from one of the prestigious research centers at École polytechnique and the CNRS, has recently been accumulating innovation prizes and rewards.

ThrustMe won the “Grand Prix” for innovative companies from the French government, handed over by the French minister of higher education, research and innovation and they won two innovation prizes at the Paris Air Forum. This week, it was recognized amongst the top five most promising startups in the space industry during the World Satellite Business Week.

The World Satellite Business Week, organized by Euroconsult every year in Paris, gathers high-level executives and influencers in the space industry to take the temperature of the global satellite industry.

This year, to bridge the generation gap between traditional space actors and the new space industry driven by newcomers, Euroconsult kicks off the week by organizing the FinSpace Awards, a worldwide competition to identify and promote the most promising space startups. 22 startups incorporated less than 6 years ago and having raised $1M or more were invited to the WSBW, and five of them, including ThrustMe received the prestigious FinSpace Awards during the event.

“The success of FinSpace is one of the many signals demonstrating that new space is moving also in Europe. It is a wide momentum, involving many actors, public agencies, traditional and new, big and small, entrepreneurs and investors, they are all contributing to make the movement irreversible and sustainable, in Europe also” commented Jean-Jacques Dordain, FinSpace jury president.

“For the first time, space start-ups are meeting at WSBW. FinSpace is a global competition which designated the 5 most promising start-ups in the space sector. NewSpace is gaining traction worldwide. I have seen evidence of this already in the USA and now we see this coming to the fore in Europe and Asia” said Mark Rigolle, CEO, LeoSat Enterprises.

"The WSBW has in the past been a meeting place for the traditional space sector with mainly executives from the large international space corporations. This year we see a shift, where new actors such as us get visibility. We are grateful for the opportunity that FinSpace gives us to discuss future collaborations with executives and influencers in the global space industry.” says Gautier Brunet, COO of ThrustMe