science

Magdrive

Magdrive is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Magdrive rather than just read about it. In short: Magdrive Ltd is a British space technology company headquartered at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. Founded in 2019 by Mark Stokes (CEO) and Dr Thomas Clayson (CTO), the company develops compact, high-thrust electric plasma propulsion systems for small satellites and spacecraft using solid metal propellant.

Key takeaways

Magdrive belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Magdrive to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Magdrive from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Magdrive Ltd is a British space technology company headquartered at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. Founded in 2019 by Mark Stokes (CEO) and Dr Thomas Clayson (CTO), the company develops compact, high-thrust electric plasma propulsion systems for small satellites and spacecraft using solid metal propellant. In June 2025, Magdrive launched its first two thrusters into orbit in collaboration with D-Orbit.

History Magdrive was founded in 2019 by Mark Stokes and plasma physicist Dr Thomas Clayson, both graduates of Imperial College London. Initially funded by a $2 million pre-seed round led by Founders Fund in 2020, the company has since secured public grants from the UK Government, UK Space Agency, and the European Space Agency. In February 2025, Magdrive announced a $10.5 million seed funding round led by Redalpine, with participation from Founders Fund, Balerion Space Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Outsized Ventures, Entrepreneur First, and 7percent Ventures. As of early 2025, the company had raised approximately $22.5 million in total, including public funding.

Technology Magdrive’s propulsion systems use solid metal propellant and onboard energy storage to generate high-energy plasma, achieving thrust levels significantly greater than traditional electric propulsion systems of similar size. The company's Rogue thruster, designed to fit within a CubeSat form factor (~2.5 kg dry mass), produces thrust in the range of tens of millinewtons. It is intended for satellite constellation management, in-space servicing, and space debris avoidance. An in-orbit demonstration of the Rogue thruster—part of the "Going Rogue" mission—was launched in June 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-14 rideshare mission, in partnership with D-Orbit.

Missions

See also Electric propulsion CubeSat Spacecraft propulsion Satellite constellation

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Magdrive

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Magdrive claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Magdrive before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Magdrive ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Magdrive

In research: Magdrive appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Magdrive in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Magdrive is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aerospace companies of the United Kingdom, British companies established in 2019, Spacecraft propulsion, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Magdrive outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Magdrive in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Magdrive means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Magdrive out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Magdrive in simple terms?

Why does Magdrive matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Magdrive?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Magdrive.