Disrupting ideas for aviation take off at the Aerospace Innovation Hub

Last week’s foggy days weren’t ideal at all for flying, with both Schiphol and Eindhoven airports canceling hundreds of flights. Luckily, the weather didn’t disrupt the activities of the Delft’s University of Technology (TU Delft) Mobility Week, which on Thursday had a moment for the media to know more about its Aerospace Innovation Hub.

The hub, located in the faculty of aerospace engineering, is a place for accelerating innovation in aerospace, offering young startups and students the possibility to connect with the industry. One such example is the startup voucher, which coaches early-stage entrepreneurs kicking off their venture through coaching.

Victor Rijkaart, one of the hub directors, took the stage to present the activities of the Aerospace Innovation Hub, highlighting how the many ideas being developed within it can be the basis for decarbonizing aviation. After him, five companies, part of the hub, presented their ideas.

An electric 90-seater plane

Rob Wolleswinkel is the co-CEO Elysian, a startup developing a 90-passenger battery-electric plane able to fly for 800 kilometers on a single charge. The E9X is planned to take off for the first time in 2033. Wolleswinkel argues that planes are much more efficient than aircraft flying on hydrogen or sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).

“Three strengths set Elysian apart. We achieved technical capability, creating a battery with a high energy density. Our solution is both environmentally friendly and cost-competitive. At the same time, we embedded ourselves in the aviation ecosystem in these years, strengthening partnerships with industry players such as KLM,” underscored the entrepreneur.

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Fully electric plane for regional flights

The TU Delft hub is also home to the Dutch branch of VÆRIDION. The German company is working on the Microliner, a fully electric airplane carrying nine passengers. The aircraft is designed for short-haul flights, especially for underserved areas. The startup recently raised €14 million and has 2030 as the date in sight for having the first aircraft deliveries and starting commercial operations.

Taco Stouten, vice president of commercial of the Munich-based company, highlighted the value of the Aerospace Innovation Hub for the VÆRIDION. “There is plenty of room for collaboration with the other companies, as well as the possibility for us to draw from the many talents available here at the university.”

A rotating-wing drone

An example of research finding its way to the market is the recently founded AeroGridUAV. The startup developed a Variable Skew-Quad Plane, an innovative autonomous drone initially developed in a research project for a maritime surveillance aircraft. To withstand the harsh maritime conditions, the drone features a rotating wing that provides more stability when taking off and landing.

“The wing greatly influences departing, even more so when the drone needs to take off from a ship deck. Our drone can rotate its wing in a few seconds, moving into a hovering position when taking off and turning perpendicular to the fuselage when flying,” explains co-founder Jack Hayton.

In addition to surveillance, the drone also fits the critical payload use case, potentially usable for rescue missions. AeroGridUAV is about to start several pilot projects to improve its technology further.

Hayton pitching AeroGrid UAV - © IO+

The efforts of a student team

TU Delft students are also part of the hub ecosystem, especially the ones part of the AeroDelft team. The student cohort is on a mission to retrofit a four-seater diesel airplane into a liquid hydrogen-powered one. The project, which started in 2017, involves 60 new students every year, each cohort building on the work done by the previous ones. The team aims to fly on liquid hydrogen next year.

AeroDelft headquarters is at the faculty lab facility. The working space is full of machinery that the university researchers use to conduct experiments. In one corner of the space stands the student team’s plane. Tamás Farkas and Davide Mangini, operations manager and chief of LH2, respectively, explain more about the plane.

Mangini explains how to adapt the plane to suit hydrogen; the team had to redesign the aircraft’s nose. Farkas underlines the challenges of working with a technology that has not been fully regulated yet. “In a way, we are ahead of the industry.”

Hydrogen as the future of mobility

Per zepp.solutions’s co-founder Jan Bot, hydrogen is the future fuel of all means of transportation, including aviation. The company, a spin-off of TU Delft hydrogen racing team Forze, works on drop-in fuel cell systems and has developed different products based on its X150 system. To this extent, being part of the university hub allows the company to access the aerospace industry.

Bot believes hydrogen mobility is finally getting traction. “The different pieces of the puzzle, from technology to regulation, are falling into place. Yet, nobody knows how fast things will go, making it for us the hardest challenge to face.”

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A busy 2025

Always with an eye on potential new companies to join the hub, Rijkaart sees a busy year ahead. “This year, we offer some of the companies active in the hub a new space, The Terminal, where there will be room for them to have office and testing areas. We will also further work with our partners to find new ways to help these startups grow. Ultimately, we are like a funnel, helping them on their way to the market.”