NEWS
08/27/2025 Company Update:
Astrum Drive Technologies Selected for TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2025
We’re thrilled to announce that Astrum Drive Technologies has been selected for TechCrunch’s 2025 Startup Battlefield 200—chosen from thousands of global applicants as one of the most ambitious and innovative startups in the world. This is where visibility meets momentum, and we’re honored to be on the list that VCs, corporates, founders, and the global tech community watch to discover what’s next.
As part of the SB200, we’ll be featured at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, October 27–29 in San Francisco—the most iconic stage in tech. With past Battlefield alumni like Dropbox, Cloudflare, Mint, and Trello, it’s inspiring to join such company—especially in TechCrunch’s 20th anniversary year, set to be the biggest and boldest Disrupt yet. We can’t wait to share what’s next and connect with the community.
Link: techcrunch.com/2025
07/24/2025 WarpDrive Update:
Our latest peer-reviewed article, “Warp bubble geometries with anisotropic fluids: A piecewise analytical approach,” marks another advance in spacetime engineering research.
In this study, we analyze spherically symmetric warp bubble models using a simplified metric with a non-trivial radial shift—similar to the Painlevé–Gullstrand metric—leading directly to an anisotropic matter description. Our method introduces a piecewise-defined energy density, allowing us to precisely localize regions that may violate strict energy conditions. This framework ensures that the weak and null energy conditions can be satisfied globally, while any departure from the dominant energy condition is confined to controlled, finite shells.
We demonstrate the versatility of this approach with concrete models, including both single- and double-shell profiles. By carefully tuning parameters, our results show that these warp bubble solutions can be made mathematically consistent and physically plausible, moving warp bubble concepts a step closer to realistic implementation.
Read the published article: doi.org/10.1016
Astrum Drive Technologies Wins Power of People Innovation Award at SpaceTank 2025!
We’re incredibly proud to announce that Astrum Drive Technologies has been awarded the Power of People Innovation Award at SpaceTank 2025 during Space Tech Expo! This award recognizes our propellantless propulsion system as a game-changing technology voted most impactful by industry leaders, investors, and fellow innovators.
Thank you to the SpaceTank organizers, judges, and everyone who believes in our mission to revolutionize space exploration. This recognition fuels our passion to push boundaries and bring sustainable, scalable propulsion to the next generation of spacecraft.
Congratulations to all the amazing startups who shared the stage. The future of space is brighter than ever!
Exciting News!
Astrum Drive Technologies, a pioneer in propellantless space propulsion, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Space Ocean Corp, a leader in orbital fluid logistics and deep-space infrastructure. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the commercial demonstration of Astrum’s revolutionary propulsion system—technology that eliminates the need for conventional fuel in spaceflight.
“This partnership accelerates our path to full orbital validation,” said Dr. Ivaylo Vasilev, CEO of Astrum Drive. “We’re thrilled to work with Space Ocean to bring our fuel-free propulsion system into space, where it can dramatically reduce costs, extend satellite lifespans, and open new frontiers for maneuvering and servicing missions.”
More Exciting News!
Astrum Drive Technologies has been featured by SpaceVerse, one of the world’s largest and most influential space YouTube channels. We’re honored to share our breakthrough propellantless propulsion technology with their amazing community of space enthusiasts.
A big thank you to the SpaceVerse team for helping us amplify our vision for the future of space mobility!
05/19/2025 Company Update:
Astrum Drive Named One of the Top 10 Space Mining Startups to Watch
We are proud to share that Astrum Drive Technologies has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Space Mining Startups to Watch by StartUs Insights — a leading platform tracking innovation across industries.
This recognition highlights our commitment to revolutionizing space propulsion and enabling the future of off-Earth resource utilization. As we develop next-generation propulsion systems designed to operate without onboard fuel, we aim to unlock the full potential of long-duration space missions, asteroid mining, and deep-space exploration.
We’re honored to be featured alongside other visionary companies shaping the future of space mining.
Read the full article here: StartUs Insights – Top 10 Space Mining Companies
Thank you to our supporters, partners, and team members who help make this vision a reality. The journey has just begun..
04/07/2025 Company Update:
Astrum Drive Technologies Selected as One of the Five Innovative Space Startups to
Present at Space Tank 2025 at Space Tech Expo:
Astrum Drive Technologies is proud to announce that we have been chosen as one of the top five pioneering space startups invited to present at the prestigious Space Tank pitch event during Space Tech Expo 2025. This premier industry event recognizes groundbreaking startups poised to revolutionize the aerospace sector.
Space Tank brings together leading investors, industry experts, and visionary startups to showcase transformative aerospace technologies. Selected from numerous global applicants, Astrum Drive Technologies earned a coveted spot to highlight our revolutionary propellantless propulsion system—an innovation poised to redefine the future of space exploration and satellite operations.
“We’re honored to have our technology and vision recognized at Space Tank,” said Dr. Ivaylo Vasilev, CEO of Astrum Drive Technologies. “This selection reinforces the industry’s confidence in our solution, and we are excited to present our game-changing approach to propulsion technology in front of a distinguished audience.”
Join us at Space Tech Expo 2025 as we present our innovative technology and outline how Astrum Drive is shaping a sustainable, efficient, and expansive future in space:
01/21/2025 Company Update:
We are thrilled to announce that Astrum Drive Technologies will be presenting at SpaceCom 2025, the largest space industry conference in the United States! The event will take place on January 30, 2025, at 14:30 in beautiful Orlando, Florida:
01/16/2025 Company Update:
Astrum Drive Technologies proudly establishes its European Headquarters in Turin, Italy – Astrum Drive Technologies Europe Srl – reinforcing our independence and operational expansion in the region. This milestone strengthens our R&D in propellantless propulsion technology, enhances access to key aerospace markets, and lays the foundation for a fully operational presence in Europe.
A defining moment: The new CEO of Astrum Drive Technologies Europe, Roberto Valla, signs the documents.
01/11/2025 Company Update:
We were invited to NASA to talk about our propellantless space propulsion system and warp drive research.
The panel starts at 3:00 PM On line and Building 3 Auditorium
12/30/2024 Propellantless Space Propulsion Update
During this experiment, we achieved a constant thrust of approximately 50 mN using about 300 W of electricity, with no exhaust other than heat. It takes about 3 minutes for the system to heat up and reach full thrust.
The video intentionally does not show the full size of the propulsion system, as viewing it requires an NDA.
12/30/2024 Warp Drive Update:
We derived an analytic solution requiring only positive energy densities and pressures, attainable under laboratory conditions and consistent with all known energy constraints, effectively providing a practical prescription for realizing warp bubbles. So in short we have the recipe for how to make warp bubbles in a lab. In this configuration, the energy density, pressure, and shaping function remain positive and experimentally controllable, ensuring the fulfillment of all energy conditions. We can realize these conditions employing two counter-rotating electromagnetic fields that satisfy both the Einstein field equations and Maxwell’s equations; at specific frequencies and energy densities, these fields induce a stable warp-bubble configuration. These results constitute exceptional progress in the field!
Above is 3D diagram of the magnetic field lines arranged radially, indicating how they support the necessary pressures inside the warp bubble.
10/03/2024 Company Update:
For the third year in a row, we have been invited to SpaceCom 2025, the largest space conference in the U.S., to discuss our propellantless space propulsion and warp drives research. The conference will take place on January 29-30, 2025, in Orlando, Florida.
09/30/2024 Project Pegasus Update:
Our cutting-edge research leverages the Zel’dovich effect for electromagnetic wave amplification using a multi-stage system with rotating metallic components. By utilizing high-speed rotations, superconducting magnets, and a multi-stage amplification approach, we have designed a system capable of amplifying magnetic fields by orders of magnitude. This breakthrough allows us to achieve unprecedented magnetic field strengths, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with current technologies.
06/30/2024 Propellantless Space Propulsion Update:
We entered into multiple partnerships with esteemed universities and satellite providers to test and integrate our propellantless propulsion system. For example, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the Technical University of Sofia, EnduroSat, KMI, and several others.
03/31/2024 Propellantless Space Propulsion Update:
The prototype was placed on a sensitive scale, where we observed an increase in mass due to a downward thrust of 4 mN, as demonstrated in the video. Currently, we have achieved a thrust of 20 mN. The force is constant, which indicates there is no mass loss; we conducted tests lasting over 60 minutes. This represents a significant force for space applications. For instance, with a constant acceleration of 0.1 N, a 100 kg probe could reach Mars in 120 days.
03/29/2024 WarpDrive Update :
We are excited to announce the publication of our latest research article, “Spherical warp-based bubble with non-trivial lapse function and its consequences on matter content.”
In this work, we investigate how introducing a non-uniform lapse function as an additional degree of freedom impacts general spherical warp bubble geometries. By evolving the lapse function, our study shows it is possible to accommodate fluid models that include heat flow—broadening the spectrum of fluids considered in these systems.
We systematically solve the field equations for an anisotropic fluid with heat flow, enabling a deeper examination of the system’s variable properties. The article analyzes how energy conditions are affected by the presence of heat flux for a generic local observer, and employs numerical solutions to identify where the energy conditions are satisfied across the bubble region.
These results expand the landscape of physically plausible warp bubble models and highlight the impact of allowing heat flow in spherical configurations.
Read the published article: https://doi.org/10.1088
01/05/2024 Company Update:
12/10/2023 Company Update:
We have been invited to give a talk about our propellantless space propulsion at the Space Suppliers Summit in Glasgow. There, we will also have an exhibition table. Details are as follows:
Tue, Feb 6, 9 AM – Wed, Feb 7, 5 PM GMT
University of Strathclyde,The Technology and Innovation Centre
99 George St, Glasgow, United Kingdom
11/30/2023 Company Update:
We have been invited to participate as speakers at SpaceCom 2024, which is the largest space conference in the US, to give a talk about our propellantless space propulsion. Details are as follows:
Propulsion Enabling On-Orbit Servicing
Wed, Jan 31, 1:45pm – 2:45pm | W331A
Track: SpaceCom | Space Congress: Space Exploration
ORLANDO, FL USA | Orange County Convention Center
10/03/2023 Company Update:
We received funding from the National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I Project Grant in partnership with The Morningbird Foundation to test our warp-drive framework in a lab.
We were able to integrate the spherical warp-drive metric, electromagnetic fields, rotation, heat fluxes, radial and tangential pressures, anisotropies, and null fields into a unified framework with the aim of designing and conducting laboratory experiments to manipulate space-time.
6/29/2023 Propellantless Space Propulsion Update:
We achieved a significant breakthrough with the propellantless space propulsion, with our latest prototype we are able to create a stable thrust force of ~5 millinewtons with about 700W of power, with no fuel & no exhaust, just electricity. 5 millinewtons is more than many satellites need to maintain orbit, below is a photo of the engineering team to memorize the moment.
6/28/2023 Company Update:
We were invited to participate in WebIt, one of the biggest start-up conferences in Europe to talk about our space technologies, here is the video:
4/18/2023 WarpDrive Update:
We are excited to announce a major breakthrough published in General Relativity and Gravitation. Our research demonstrates that negative energy is not required for a functional warp drive—a finding that challenges decades of accepted physics.
By carefully analyzing Einstein’s equations with anisotropic fluids and exploring warp drive metrics in various coordinate systems, we found that the energy density of the warp system depends on the type of matter involved. In many cases, such as dust or isotropic fluids, the energy density becomes zero, revealing that negative energy is not an unavoidable barrier. This resolves a fundamental issue in warp drive research and suggests that practical solutions may be achievable with realistic materials.
For more information, see the published article: Link a Warp Drives – revisiting the problem of negative energy.
2/22/2023 Company Update:
We are invited to participate in SpaceCom 2023, this is the biggest space conference in US, details below:
Panel Title: Deep Space Propulsion
Speaker & Chairman: Dr. Ivaylo Vasilev, Astrum Drive Technologies
Date: Wednesday, February 22nd
Time: Panel 4 (3:30-4:30PM)
Location: Room W222A
1/13/2023 WarpDrive Update:
We received a US patent for our Warp Drive propulsion.
We were able to integrate the spherical warp-drive metric, electromagnetic fields, rotation, heat fluxes, radial and tangential pressures, anisotropies, and null fields into a unified framework with the aim of designing and conducting laboratory experiments to manipulate space-time.
This research is consistent with the general relativity and will be published in top-tier physics journals.
1/12/2023 WarpDrive Update:
We are pleased to announce a breakthrough in spacetime modeling, published in a top-tier physics journal. Our latest work introduces a new warp bubble solution with favorable spherical symmetry.
Building on previous concepts from Alcubierre and Bobrick, we developed a metric that maintains spherical symmetry and analyzed its properties using perfect and anisotropic fluids, including a cosmological constant. Our findings show that these models can satisfy most energy conditions, providing flexibility for different scenarios. Notably, when the warp bubble shape is time-independent, the metric features a time-like symmetry (Killing vector), and all energy conditions are satisfied except for the strong energy condition. In such cases, a barotropic equation of state, commonly seen in cosmological models, naturally appears.
This warp bubble solution strengthens the foundation for further exploration of exotic spacetime geometries.
Read the published article: https://doi.org/10.1140
12/31/2022 Company Update:
Our website reached 3000+ unique visitors in December.
12/10/2022 Company Update:
We participated in TC Sessions: Space 2022 in Los Angeles, we met and discussed with the US Space Force how to utilize our propulsion technology on military satellites, more to follow on the topic.
11/17/2022 Company Update:
Our YouTube Channel where we post updates on our WarpDrive research reached 1500 subscribers:
We temporarily disabled some of the videos until we publish & patent the next phase of our warp drive research.
9/30/2022 Company Update:
We got invited to participate in SpaceCom 2023 where we got featured among their top 10 speakers.
9/27/2022 WarpDrive Update:
Achieving a viable warp drive requires addressing numerous fundamental challenges. Among the most significant is the requirement for negative energy density—a property for which no confirmed physical sources currently exist. Our research program takes a complementary approach by systematically exploring new families of spacetime metrics, solution classes, and parameter regimes that operate with positive or semiclassical energy conditions, thereby circumventing this primary obstacle.
Current warp-drive models, predominantly derived from Alcubierre’s seminal 1994 framework, rest on simplified geometric assumptions, lack exploitable symmetries, and employ elementary matter-energy distributions. These limitations constrain both their theoretical tractability and experimental accessibility. Our future research directions aim to enrich the mathematical structure of warp-drive spacetimes by incorporating physically motivated ingredients and identifying mechanisms amenable to testing through analog gravity systems and eventual laboratory implementations.
Our proposed research framework focuses on two interconnected areas:
– Symmetry-Enhanced Metric Families: Development of spacetime geometries incorporating natural symmetries (spherical, cylindrical, or discrete) that both simplify the field equations and suggest physical implementation pathways.
– Realistic Matter Configurations and Thermodynamic Constraints: Incorporation of complex equation-of-state relations, thermodynamic consistency conditions, and quantum field theory corrections to ensure physical viability.
We are currently developing several novel metric proposals that exhibit promising characteristics within these frameworks. Our ongoing work includes rigorous mathematical analysis, numerical validation, and investigation of observable signatures. Results from these investigations will be submitted for peer review in leading physics journals, with preprints and publications made available as they emerge.
This research program represents a systematic effort to transition warp-drive physics from mathematical curiosity to a domain where theoretical predictions can interface with experimental capabilities, laying groundwork for future advances in spacetime engineering.
9/27/2022 WarpDrive Update:
Many problems have to be solved in order to achieve a viable warp drive. One of the best known is the problem of negative energy density but the search for sources of this type of energy didn’t bear any results. Our approach is to explore new families of metrics, solutions and regions that require positive energy densities.
The current warp-drive models, mostly based on Alcubierre’s 1994 proposal, are based on simple assumptions, contain no natural symmetries and are expressed using the simplest matter-energy configurations – this makes them impractical and difficult to work with. This is why we are adding new ingredients to the warp drive equations and looking for mechanisms that can be tested in analogous gravity and eventually in a laboratory.
What are these ingredients? They basically fall into two groups:
– Metrics with specific advantageous symmetries
– Complex matter and thermodynamic relations
We already have new metric proposals and some very interesting results. We are currently preparing several papers in prestigious peer-reviewed physics journals. Once published, we will post them here.
9/1/2022 Propellantless Space Propulsion Update:
We completed the first working prototype of the electrical propellantless space propulsion system.
Currently working on the second iteration to increase the amount of force it generates.
6/07/2022 Company Update:
We got featured in Forbes 6/2022 in a 3 pages article.
4/30/2022 Propellantless Space Propulsion Update
We received US patent for our electrical propellantless propulsion
4/11/2022 Propellantless Space Propulsion Update:
We finally achieved a stable process for our electrical propellantless propulsion.
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AEROSPACE
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CONTACT US
contact@astrumdrive.com