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Espace, Inc.

Location: Hull, Massachusetts | Type: SBIR electrospray propulsion company Founder/PI: François H. Martel (MIT-affiliated: fm@space.mit.edu) SST role: GPDM electrospray control electronics and bimodal integration TechPort projects: 4 | NASA awards: $3.9M+ across 8 contracts (2008–2026)

Last updated: 2026-04-14 (session 36)

Overview

Espace, Inc. is a small propulsion company specializing in precision electrospray thrusters for spacecraft attitude control. Founded by François Martel, who maintains an MIT Space Propulsion Laboratory affiliation, the company has been developing electrospray technology through NASA SBIRs since 2008. Espace builds the precision high-voltage power supplies and control electronics that drive electrospray emitters — the electronics half of the electrospray system, complementing MIT SPL's thruster hardware.

For GPDM, Espace provides the bimodal ion-chemical thruster integration — the electronics and control system that enables switching between chemical and electrospray modes from a shared ASCENT propellant supply. This is the bridge technology that makes dual-mode possible.

GPDM Lineage — The Electrospray Electronics Side

GPDM (155369) lists Espace, Inc. as a partner organization (confirmed in TechPort live record). Espace's SBIR pipeline feeds the electrospray control electronics:

Phase Source Period Amount Deliverable
SBIR Phase I 80NSSC19C0549 (USASpending) 2019-08 → 2020-02 $125K Bimodal Ion-Chemical Thruster System (concept)
SBIR Phase II 80NSSC21C0029 (USASpending) 2021-01 → 2024-05 $937K Bimodal Ion-Chemical Thruster System (hardware demo)
SBIR Phase III 80NSSC23CA046 (USASpending) 2023-05 → 2025-05 $599K GPDM integration (labeled only "PHASE III")

The "Bimodal Ion-Chemical Thruster System" title describes exactly what GPDM does: combining ionic (electrospray) and chemical propulsion. The Phase I/II contracts predate the SST GPDM project [155369] (started Sep 2022), confirming that Espace's bimodal concept was developed independently through SBIR before being integrated into the SST flight demo.

Confidence: confirmed — Espace listed as GPDM Other Organization in TechPort; USASpending contracts match timeline; "bimodal ion-chemical" describes GPDM architecture.

Earlier SBIR Pipeline — PETA (Precision Electrospray Thruster Assembly)

Before GPDM, Espace developed precision electrospray thruster electronics through the PETA program:

Phase TechPort Project Period TRL Key Result
SBIR Phase I 8858 — PETA 2011-02 → 2011-09 2→4 HV power supply for 1.2 nN electrospray thrusters
SBIR Phase II 9322 — PETA 2012-04 → 2015-03 4→7 CubeSat-format protoflight PETA units
SBIR Phase III NNA13AA20C ($100K, USASpending) 2013-06 → 2013-12 — PETA Phase III base period

Notable: PETA Phase II reached TRL 7 — very high for an SBIR electrospray project. The technology was ready for flight testing by 2015 but no flight opportunity materialized until GPDM.

PETA targeted LISA-class precision pointing (1.2 nanoNewton minimum thrust, Isp 3,500s). Applications: formation flying telescopes, gravitational wave detectors, precision attitude control. JPL was a partner on both PETA phases.

Current Work — PINT (Precision Ion Nano Thruster)

Espace's latest SBIR line continues the precision electrospray theme:

Phase TechPort Project Period TRL Status
SBIR Phase I 154806 — PINT 2023-08 → 2024-02 3→4 Completed
SBIR Phase II 158770 — PINT Active 4 Active ($850K, 80NSSC24CA109)

PINT is a miniaturized "nano-thruster" for arcsecond-level pointing control on large space telescopes. Uses micro-fabricated ion-electrospray emitters developed with MIT SPL. Applications: next-gen astrophysics observatories, fractionated space systems. GSFC is the NASA partner (PM: Eric Golliher).

Full USASpending Federal Footprint

Total NASA awards: $3.9M+ across 8 contracts (2008–2026)

Award Amount Period Description
80NSSC21C0029 $937K 2021–2024 Bimodal Ion-Chemical Thruster System (GPDM precursor)
NNX12CA48C $857K 2012–2015 PETA Phase II
80NSSC24CA109 $850K 2024–2026 PINT Phase II (Active)
80NSSC23CA046 $599K 2023–2025 Phase III (GPDM integration)
NNA08BC54C $149K 2008–2009 TESS Phase I support studies
80NSSC23PB424 $150K 2023–2024 PINT Phase I
80NSSC19C0549 $125K 2019–2020 Bimodal Ion-Chemical Phase I
NNX11CF38P $100K 2011 PETA Phase I
NNA13AA20C $100K 2013 PETA Phase III
NNX08CD58P $100K 2008 Open Systems of Agile Ground Stations

Additional Small Task Orders (session 36 discovery)

Award Amount Period Description
80NSSC25PA466 $19.3K 2025-02 → 2025-09 Technical services (circuit board layout)
80NSSC23PA369 $6.4K 2023-01 → 2024-01 Technician services (circuit board layout)

These small task orders ($25.7K combined) suggest active hands-on hardware work — likely circuit board fabrication for GPDM and/or PINT systems. They confirm Espace is doing real hardware, not just design studies.

Updated total NASA awards: ~$3.93M across 10 contracts/task orders (2008–2026).

No known DoD or non-NASA federal awards. This is a NASA-only SBIR company — unusual compared to most SST-adjacent propulsion firms (which typically have 60-90% DoD funding).

MIT Space Propulsion Lab Connection

François Martel's MIT email (fm@space.mit.edu) and the PINT description ("leveraging… collaborations between Espace Inc. and the MIT Space Propulsion Laboratory") confirm a deep MIT SPL connection. Paulo Lozano directs MIT SPL and is the PI on SST electrospray projects 95548 and 106827 (Accion Systems).

On GPDM, both Espace and MIT SPL contribute to the electrospray side: MIT builds the thruster hardware (emitters, propellant feed), Espace builds the control electronics and power supplies. They are complementary, not competing.

This makes GPDM a three-way SBIR convergence: 1. Plasma Processes / Rubicon — chemical thruster SBIR pipeline → Sprite module 2. Espace — bimodal ion-chemical SBIR pipeline → electrospray control electronics 3. MIT SPL (Lozano) — GCD electrospray thruster R&D → GPDM thruster hardware

Assessment

Archetype: SBIR Pipeline (variant: NASA-only micro-company)

Espace is the smallest company in the SST-adjacent ecosystem: ~$3.9M total NASA funding over 18 years, no VC, no DoD contracts, one known employee (Martel as PI on all projects). The company exists to bridge MIT SPL research to flight-ready electronics.

What makes Espace significant for SST: - GPDM's bimodal architecture depends on Espace's integration work. The "bimodal ion-chemical" concept — switching between chemical and electrospray modes from one propellant supply — was demonstrated in Espace's SBIR before the SST project started. - PETA reached TRL 7 in 2015 but waited 8+ years for a flight opportunity (GPDM). This is a textbook "technology push waiting for mission pull" case. - MIT SPL hub: Espace + Lozano/MIT SPL + Accion Systems form a Boston-area electrospray cluster with shared heritage. GPDM draws from all three.

Session 36 update: IEPC-2025-495 paper (Sep 2025, London) confirms Espace delivered electrospray control electronics and hardware integration for GPDM. SpaceNews reported MIT electrospray thrusters "delivered to NASA in September [2025]" — Espace's electronics would have been delivered in the same timeframe. Active circuit board task orders ($25.7K in 2023–2025) confirm ongoing hardware work.

Open question: Will PINT (precision nano-thruster) find a flight opportunity, or will it repeat PETA's long wait? The technology targets next-gen astrophysics observatories (HWO, etc.) — missions that are still in formulation.