From hands-on aerospace R&D to systems engineering.
Meet Murat Çetinkaya, our new Systems Engineer at GATE Space.
With a background shaped by full-cycle space hardware development, integration, validation, and technical decision-making, Murat Çetinkaya brings a perspective that connects engineering work with mission objectives.
As space missions become more commercial, scalable, and fast-moving, his role is key in keeping teams aligned and ensuring that complex technologies come together reliably.
We’re excited to have Murat Çetinkaya on the team, strengthening how we turn mission needs into integrated space solutions 🚀
We are going to space - and this mission deserves its own patch.
Introducing the BeaconSat mission patch: a visual representation of the mission and a key milestone on our path to orbit.
The patch depicts the BeaconSat spacecraft with its solar panels deployed, reflecting its operational configuration in orbit.
BeaconSat represents the power to make the invisible visible, using space as a platform to uncover what usually remains hidden. This directly reflects the mission’s objective of detecting and localizing GNSS signal interference.
For our team, the mission patch marks an important moment. It transforms months of focused engineering effort into a tangible symbol of our progress, shared commitment, and readiness for space.
And of course, the patch carries the names of the partners contributing to this mission: Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV), the European Space Agency - ESA, Space Inventor, and IGASPIN GmbH., reflecting the collaboration behind BeaconSat’s path to space.
Our next vibration campaign: avionics and fluid tubes.
After completing vibration testing on the thruster level, our team has now successfully carried out another important test campaign - this time focusing on our avionics and fluid tubes.
These components may not always be the most visible parts of a propulsion system, but they are essential to its reliable operation. Avionics control and command the system, while fluid tubes ensure that propellant can move safely and precisely through the hardware.
During launch, both are exposed to intense vibration loads. Testing them at the component level verifies that they safely withstand the launch while maintaining their structural integrity, functional readiness, and reliability.
This was an important qualification process for the avionics hardware and completes another successful milestone in our propulsion system development, confirming the readiness of these components to proceed into further avionics qualification and system-level verification.
We appreciate the TIZ Landl - Grieskirchen GmbH team for supporting this next phase of our vibration testing campaign.
Speed, precision, and performance - not just in theory, but in hardware.
Before joining GATE Space, Niclas Brandner built his experience in the racing industry, where every component is pushed to its limits. That environment shaped his approach to manufacturing: lightweight design, extreme precision, and the ability to deliver under demanding conditions.
At GATE Space, those same principles apply, but with even higher stakes.
As a CNC Manufacturing Technician, Niclas Brandner works at the point where design becomes reality. From translating complex geometries into manufacturable parts, to ensuring consistency and quality under strict aerospace requirements, his work directly impacts how reliably our propulsion systems perform.
We’re excited to have Niclas Brandner on the team, strengthening the manufacturing capabilities behind our space propulsion systems.
Join us in giving a warm welcome!
We are visiting SmallSat Europe!
Moritz Novak and Marianne Röchling will be on site in Amsterdam to meet with you.
This is an opportunity to speak about your propulsion needs, integration considerations, and how GATE Space can support technically demanding missions with reliable, test validated hardware.
📍26–28 May | RAI Amsterdam
Booth 366
Use the SmallSat B2B Matchmaking platform to schedule a meeting with our team.
We look forward to meeting you in Amsterdam.
Before any component reaches orbit, it must prove it can survive the journey.
Our team has successfully completed vibration testing at the component levels, with the latest campaign focused on the thruster.
As part of the broader validation and qualification process, this test pushes our hardware to and beyond the harsh loads experienced during a rocket launch. By exposing the thruster to intense mechanical vibrations, we verify that it can withstand launch conditions while maintaining structural integrity and functional readiness for operations.
We are grateful to TIZ Landl - Grieskirchen GmbH for the professional collaboration over the course of the testing campaign.
We qualify under flight conditions.
At our in-house propulsion test facilities, the GATE Thruster XS has already completed its full qualification campaign in continuous vacuum, representative of the environment it is built to operate in.
This marks Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7: system qualification in a relevant environment.
Across the campaign, we verified performance, endurance, and operational stability.
Every firing was executed under sustained vacuum conditions, confirming reliability, repeatability, and a clearly defined operating envelope.
The result: a thruster qualified for space - ready for launch.
Today, we’re introducing a new member of the GATE Thruster family.
Meet GATE Thruster XS - our smallest and most precise thruster to date, engineered for fine maneuvering and ultra-low impulse-bit operations in both hot gas and cold gas modes.
Developed in direct response to customer demand for high-precision, small-scale propulsion, GATE Thruster XS enables microsatellites, in-space servicing spacecraft, and capsules to maneuver with flexibility and responsiveness.
With a thrust range of 1–6 N and dual-mode operation in cold and hot gas mode, it supports a wide spectrum of mission-critical maneuvers, including:
• Stabilized initial orbit transfers
• Precise station keeping
• Responsive collision avoidance
• Reaction and attitude control
• Precise Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO)
• Reliable de-orbiting
Compact, versatile, and highly responsive, GATE Thruster XS expands our propulsion portfolio where precision matters most.
Available for order today. First missions are already lined up, with launches starting in February 2027.
GATE Thruster XS - welcome to the family.
Precise control of orbit and attitude is key to successful satellite operations.
Our propulsion system gives BeaconSat full control over its position in space - from the first moments after launch to its final de-orbit.
It enables BeaconSat to perform:
• Initial orbit transfers - repositioning the spacecraft into its operational orbit following deployment from a SpaceX Falcon 9
• Steady station keeping - maintaining orbital position with high precision over time
• Responsive collision avoidance - enabling fast, reliable maneuvering when it matters most
• Reliable de-orbiting - ensuring safe and compliant end-of-life disposal
From precision maneuvers to mission-critical safety, our propulsion system is what transforms BeaconSat into a flexible, dynamic space asset.
We tailor our propulsion systems to each customer’s mission by leveraging a modular building block architecture. These building blocks are the core propulsion elements - qualified subsystems and components that can be combined into a mission-specific configuration.
The BeaconSat mission, one of our upcoming missions, is a great example of this approach in action.
BeaconSat’s propulsion system is composed of the following building blocks:
• 1 thruster developed, built, and tested by GATE Space
• Fluid system assembled and leak-tested by GATE Space
• 4 propellant tanks, DOT certified (U.S. Department of Transportation)
• 4 isolation and firing valves supplied by a European partner
• Thermal control system developed, built, and tested by GATE Space
• Propulsion control unit developed, built, and tested by GATE Space
• Structure developed, built, and tested by GATE Space
Each element is developed as a modular building block and will fly with BeaconSat - establishing flight heritage across the core elements of all propulsion systems GATE Space delivers to customers.
Propulsion defines what is possible in space, and strong propulsion engineering defines how far that potential can go.
That is exactly what Büsra Kahraman brings to GATE Space as our new Senior Propulsion Engineer.
With deep expertise in propulsion and a strong systems-level perspective, she brings the technical judgment needed to turn complex mission requirements into robust, high-performing solutions. Her perspective spans performance, integration, manufacturability, and long-term mission relevance - strengthening the engineering behind the propulsion technologies we deliver.
We’re proud to have Büsra Kahraman on the team, advancing the propulsion capability at the heart of GATE Space. Welcome to the crew 🚀
Our upcoming space mission isn’t just a milestone for GATE Space.
It’s personal.
It reflects countless hours of dedication, relentless iteration, and the determination to build hardware that enables the most ambitious space missions.
We’re proud of the people behind GATE Space.
Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey 🫂
