Dr Thomas Clayson is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Magdrive, a UK space tech startup developing next-generation spacecraft propulsion.
Founded in 2019 by Clayson and Mark Stokes, the company is developing the Magdrive Nano, a compact, high-power plasma propulsion system for small spacecraft that combines the high efficiency of electric thrusters with the high thrust of chemical systems.
Magdrive says that its system has over ten times the thrust of similar size electric propulsion systems, with applications including satellite servicing and deep space transport.
The company has attracted £4m in early-stage investments and grants to date. Its latest round was led by Founders Fund, which was an early investor in SpaceX, DeepMind, PayPal, and Facebook. Magdrive was one of 10 global startups selected to join Amazon’s 2022 AWS Space Accelerator....