Water to Rocket Fuel: A Startup's Bet on In-Orbit Propulsion

General Galactic, led by former SpaceX engineers, plans a fall orbital test of water-based propellant on a 1,100-pound satellite, using electrolysis to create hydrogen and oxygen for chemical propulsion and a Hall thruster for electric propulsion. If successful, it could boost satellite maneuverability and help lay the groundwork for a Mars refueling network—but the approach faces material and efficiency hurdles and remains a high-uncertainty, long-term bet; the team has raised about $10 million in VC.