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Clara Venture Labs awarded contract to advance PEM electrolyser technology for satellite propulsion

Updated: May 31

Bergen, Norway – May 16 – 2024 – Clara Venture Labs has secured a new contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to further develop its static water vapour fed PEM electrolyser technology.


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AI-generated illustration of satellite

Building on CVL’s previous work under the ARTES Regenerative Fuel Cell System (RFCS) contract, this project aims to enhance the high-pressure static water vapour fed (SWVF) PEM electrolyser stack technology. The technology can be used in satellite water propulsion thruster systems for orbit control and in RFCS, where its integration may greatly simplify system complexity.


The project is set to commence before summer 2024 and will run until November 2025. This initiative is part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, which is dedicated to maintaining European and Canadian industry leadership in the competitive global satellite communications market through innovation and research.


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Bjarte G. B. Solheim, Programme Lead Space Tech

“This contract is significant in that it allows us to continue our work and further improve a state-of-the-art high pressure SWVF PEM electrolyser towards a product where we see great opportunity within several domains in space. It is the ongoing collaboration with ESA, and the support for this from the Norwegian Space Agency, that permits us to take a leading role in Europe within electrolysers and fuels cells developed for use in Space”, says Bjarte G. B. Solheim, Programme Lead Spacetech.






Xavier Geneste, Senior Spacecraft Engineer at the European Space Agency, commented on Clara Venture Labs' contributions to this project: "The team at Clara Venture Labs is amazing, and CVL is a European leader in fuel cells and electrolysers for systems in space. I started this adventure with CVL in 2009 without any idea whether a market would open for these technologies. We rigorously tested and experimented with various approaches, and now our efforts have come to fruition. Electrolysers are ready to support water propulsion for spacecraft. Thank you to the Norwegian delegation for trusting ARTES. Perseverance always pays off."


A group of 15 people posing for a photo in a laboratory setting. There are 10 men and 5 women, with some standing and others kneeling. The lab is well-lit with various pieces of equipment visible in the background. Everyone is dressed casually, suggesting a relaxed and friendly environment.
Space team at Clara Venture Labs along with Xavier Geneste and Brandon Buergler from ESA during a meeting at Fantoft, Bergen in 2022

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