NewRocket

NewRocket develops in-space propulsion based on hypergolic bi-propellant gel technology, marketed as PowerGel. Gelled propellants sit between liquids and solids: they can be throttled and restarted like a liquid system, but are far less prone to leaking and are considerably safer to store and handle than hydrazine, the toxic monopropellant that still dominates satellite propulsion.

The company was founded in 2014 by Zohar Schlagman and Moti Elyashiv at Incubit Ventures, an incubator backed by Elbit Systems, and works out of Netanya with ties to the Technion in Haifa. Its engines are aimed at satellites across size classes and at in-space applications requiring high-energy orbital transfer and manoeuvring.

The green propulsion angle is regulatory as much as environmental: hydrazine handling drives significant cost and schedule burden at the launch site, and is under long-running scrutiny in Europe under REACH. NewRocket has won contracts with major aerospace corporations on projects exceeding $6 million.