About ISPTech
ISPTech is an independent spacecraft propulsion engineering company founded in 2022 at Lampoldshausen, Germany. We design, qualify, and supply propulsion systems for satellite OEMs, launch service providers, and space agencies. Engineering-driven, customer-focused, bootstrapped.
Founded at the Centre of European Propulsion
ISPTech was established in 2022 at Im Langen Grund 1, Lampoldshausen — 200 metres from the DLR Institut für Raumfahrtantriebe, where European rocket propulsion has been tested since the 1960s. The location is not incidental: access to DLR's altitude simulation chambers, hotfire test infrastructure, and the surrounding concentration of propulsion engineering expertise defines what ISPTech can deliver.
The company was founded by Lukas Werling with a specific focus: to serve the growing demand for qualified propulsion systems from the new space economy — satellite OEMs building LEO constellations, smallsat launch service providers, and technology demonstration programmes — while maintaining the engineering rigour that established aerospace programmes require.
ISPTech is bootstrapped. There are no external investors, no venture capital, and no growth-stage funding rounds. This is a deliberate structural decision: propulsion engineering operates on programme timescales measured in years, not quarters. Engineering decisions are made on technical merit, not investor-driven product roadmaps.
In three years of operation, ISPTech has completed qualification programmes for four propulsion product families, achieved first flight on the CHT-5 monopropellant thruster, and established an active programme pipeline across satellite OEM, launch services, and technology demonstration markets.
Engineering Team
Lukas Werling
CEO
Founder of ISPTech. Propulsion engineer with background in chemical and electric propulsion systems development. Previously: DLR affiliated research, small satellite propulsion architecture. Established ISPTech in 2022 to serve the new space market from Lampoldshausen.
Dr. Petra Hölscher
Director of Propulsion Engineering
Leads propulsion engineering across all product families. Academic background in spacecraft propulsion thermodynamics. Qualification programme lead for CG-50 ECSS Level 1 and CHT-20B bipropellant. Primary author on EUCASS and AIAA publications. 18 years propulsion experience.
Jonas Brandt
Senior Systems Engineer
Spacecraft systems engineering and propulsion subsystem integration. Responsible for customer ICD development and programme review participation. HET-200 Hall thruster performance characterisation lead. Plume diagnostics programme co-lead. Co-author: IAC 2023, ISTS 2023.
Franziska Neumann
Test Operations Engineer
Test campaign planning and execution at DLR Lampoldshausen facilities. Responsible for qualification test sequence execution, data acquisition, and acceptance testing. CG-50 qualification test operations lead. Hazardous propellant handling programme manager.
Markus Ostwald
Applications Engineer
Customer-facing technical support: mission analysis, propulsion system sizing, and integration support. PMU series design and customer integration documentation. Application note programme lead. Technical contact for initial customer requirements analysis and product selection.
Lampoldshausen, Germany
Lampoldshausen is a small community in Baden-Württemberg, approximately 60 km north of Stuttgart. The site hosts the DLR Institut für Raumfahrtantriebe — the German Aerospace Center's dedicated rocket propulsion institute — which has conducted propulsion research and test campaigns since 1959. The institute has been involved in the development and testing of propulsion systems for Ariane 4, Ariane 5, Ariane 6, Hermes, and numerous satellite propulsion programmes.
ISPTech operates from Im Langen Grund 1, adjacent to the DLR site. The co-location enables ISPTech engineers to conduct qualification testing, hotfire campaigns, and altitude simulation testing within a 10-minute drive. The Lampoldshausen test site's infrastructure, safety authorisations, and propellant handling facilities represent decades of regulatory establishment that a standalone startup would require years to replicate.
The propulsion engineering concentration at Lampoldshausen — DLR researchers, ArianeGroup test teams, and contractor organisations — provides access to a specialised talent pool uncommon outside Stuttgart and Munich. ISPTech's team reflects this: senior engineers with direct DLR and established aerospace company backgrounds.
Work With ISPTech
ISPTech engineers are available for technical consultation, programme requirements review, and qualification documentation planning for procurement programmes of all scales.