Cosmo Bee

Honeybee, a Hall thruster developed by Cosmo Bee entirely with homegrown technology

 

Space startup Cosmo Bee is preparing to conduct an in-orbit demonstration of Honeybee, its independently developed Hall thruster for small satellites. Hall thrusters are propulsion systems used to control satellite maneuvers, including orbit maintenance and correction. The technology is attracting growing attention as the commercial satellite services market begins to gain momentum.

 

Cosmo Bee said on March 23 that the K-HERO CubeSat, which carries Honeybee, is operating normally after reaching orbit and successfully establishing two-way communications with its ground station. Launched aboard Nuri (KSLV-II) in November 2025, the satellite has now entered the battery-charging phase required to operate Honeybee. Cosmo Bee plans to turn on Honeybee and conduct full-scale in-space operational tests to adjust the satellite’s orbit during the second quarter of this year.

 

Unlike conventional chemical-fuel engines, Honeybee is a Hall thruster powered by electrical energy. It uses electrical energy to ionize gas and expel it. Simply put, it is “a space engine powered by electricity.” Using a Hall thruster allows a satellite to carry less fuel, making it possible to build the satellite smaller and lighter. SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, led by Elon Musk, also use this method.

 

Honeybee is designed for small satellites in the 100–200 kg class and can generate 7 mN of thrust with a low power input of just 150 W. It is expected to be particularly well suited to very low Earth orbit (VLEO) satellite constellations operating at altitudes below 300 km. At these altitudes, atmospheric drag makes frequent thruster firings essential for maintaining orbit.

 

 

“Hall thrusters offer a clear advantage when it comes to making satellites smaller and lighter,” a company representative said. “As the satellite services market expands, demand for Hall thrusters will inevitably grow. In particular, we expect demand to increase significantly as the market for VLEO satellite constellations begins to take off.”

 

Above all, the test is regarded as particularly meaningful because it is the first case in which an independently developed domestic Hall thruster for ultra-small satellites will be carried aboard a domestically developed launch vehicle and operated directly in space. Until now, Korea has relied on imports of Hall thrusters for satellites, or Hall-thruster development has been limited to large satellites. Based on AI design technology, Cosmo Bee succeeded in developing a globally competitive low-power, compact Hall thruster.

 

Cosmo Bee will also participate consecutively in the fifth and sixth launches of the Nuri rocket. The company aims to complete the space heritage of the entire propulsion system by sequentially carrying a 1-ampere-class hollow cathode and a power-conversion and control module, both key components of a Hall thruster. Honeybee, a Hall thruster

developed by Cosmo Bee entirely with domestic technology.

 

(From left) Cosmo Bee CTO Jaehong Park, CEO Dongha Park, Director Jaejun Lee, and Director Seongsu Kim.

All four undertook doctoral studies in KAIST’s Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering.

 

Cosmo Bee was founded in 2023 based on more than 20 years of data accumulated at the Electric Propulsion Laboratory of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Under the guidance of Professor Wonho Choe, CEO Dongha Park and CTO Jaehong Park are leading the entire development process, from securing core technologies through final assembly.

 

In 2025, Cosmo Bee raised KRW 1.5 billion in a pre-Series A funding round from Company K Partners and KT Investment.

 

“We plan to complete product development in 2026 and begin full-scale commercial sales of Honeybee in 2027,” the company representative said. “By further advancing Hall-thruster technology, a core technology for the space industry, we aim to contribute to the continued growth of Korea’s space sector.”

 

Original article : Domestic Development of a ‘SpaceX-Style Hall Thruster’…Cosmo Bee Embarks on In-Space Demonstration