Rethinking the future of space exploration
Published on 24 September 2026 | Event
The BOOST project took part in BEX – Beyond Exploration Expo 2026, held at the Rimini Expo Centre from 23 to 25 September 2026.
BEX brings together companies, researchers, institutions and stakeholders working across the space economy, creating a forum to discuss how space technologies can contribute to new forms of exploration, sustainable growth and innovative services in orbit.
Within this framework, BOOST contributed to the discussion on the future of space exploration and orbital sustainability, presenting the potential role of in-orbit refuelling in enabling longer-lasting and more flexible spacecraft missions.
Today, the operational lifetime of many satellites is ultimately constrained by the amount of propellant available on board. Once this resource is exhausted, a spacecraft may reach the end of its useful life even if many of its subsystems remain fully operational. BOOST is investigating a different paradigm: making the propellant storage system rechargeable through replaceable iodine cartridges, opening the possibility of replenishing a spacecraft after launch.
In-orbit refuelling and servicing could therefore contribute to a more sustainable use of orbital infrastructure by extending spacecraft lifetime, reducing the need for replacement satellites and limiting the generation of additional space debris. At the same time, these capabilities may become key enabling technologies for increasingly ambitious and long-duration missions.
The participation of BOOST in BEX offered an opportunity to look beyond the development of iodine electric propulsion itself and discuss how rechargeability, servicing and new propulsion architectures can support a cleaner, less congested and more sustainable space environment.
In this perspective, BOOST is not only developing new building blocks for iodine propulsion, but also exploring how these technologies could contribute to a future in which spacecraft are designed to be serviced, replenished and operated for longer in orbit.
More information about BEX: BEX – Beyond Exploration Expo