#48: From Spin-Off to Spin Control with Chemical Propulsion (feat. Lukas Werling, CEO & Co-Founder, ISPTech)
NewSpaceVision
NewSpaceVision
4.0 • 4 Ratings
🗓️ 4 March 2026
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the NSV Podcast, we sit down with Lukas Werling, co-founder & CEO of InSpacePropulsion Technologies, or ISP Tech, a German startup building non-toxic chemical propulsion systems for satellites and spacecraft.
After more than a decade at DLR’s rocket engine test site in Lampoldshausen, Lukas spun out ISP Tech to commercialize advanced green propulsion technology. We discuss:
- The journey from research scientist to founder
- How to spin out of a major research institution
- Chemical vs. electric propulsion
- Why agility in orbit is becoming critical
- Europe’s funding environment for deep tech
ISP Tech is building the mobility layer of space, enabling satellites to move precisely, responsively, and safely in an increasingly crowded orbit.
Connect with Lukas and ISPTech:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukas-werling/https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspacepropulsion-technologies-isptech/https://www.isptech.space/
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I mean, honestly, there were always things which went wrong. |
| 0:04.0 | I have to think about what I can say. |
| 0:06.0 | But I mean, you can imagine. |
| 0:07.0 | I was head of the test facility for nine years, |
| 0:10.0 | and there always the danger was, in the worst case, what can go wrong? |
| 0:13.0 | Like, the scenario was always we have a tank filled with experimental propellant. |
| 0:16.0 | What happens if it blows up? |
| 0:18.0 | So we had those incidents where we had unintentional ignitions or rapid unscheduled disassembly, |
| 0:24.5 | you know, like the saying is in the space sector. |
| 0:27.8 | And we had several incidents where the engines did blow up. |
| 0:31.5 | And it was always, of course, frustrating, but also when you feel the energy which is in |
| 0:37.1 | the propellant and the engines |
| 0:38.6 | which is consumed in this short amount of time, you always feel a lot of respect for the physics, |
| 0:43.8 | so to say. |
| 0:48.3 | All right down, lift-off. |
| 0:49.9 | The clock is started. |
| 0:51.4 | Speed-speed. |
| 0:52.2 | One. |
| 0:54.0 | We chose to come to the world. |
| 0:56.0 | Lift-off. |
| 0:57.0 | We have a lift-off. |
| 0:59.0 | Hello and welcome to the New Space Vision podcast sponsored by Live here where we discuss |
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