Iodine for what’s next in orbit — and on the ground.
NexGen Materials is building a lower-cost, domestic route to iodine from U.S. brine. It’s the propellant, antiseptic, and sensor material that defense and space programs depend on, and most of it comes from overseas today.
A critical material with a fragile supply.
Concentrated supply
A handful of producers in Chile and Japan supply most of the world’s iodine. The U.S. depends heavily on imports.
Price shocks
One plant outage in recent years was enough to more than double world prices, and they stayed high.
No easy substitute
Medical, defense, and electronics uses can’t simply switch materials, so supply disruptions land directly on buyers.
The next satellite propellant.
Electric-propulsion satellites have long run on xenon, an expensive gas tied to foreign supply chains. Iodine delivers comparable performance and stores as a solid at room temperature.
That means no high-pressure tanks, satellites that can be fueled at the factory and stored ready to launch, and more spacecraft per launch for large constellations.
| Xenon | Iodine | |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Pressurized gas | Solid at room temp |
| Density | ~1.6–2.0 g/cm³ | ~4.9 g/cm³ |
| Raw cost | $2,500–4,000+/kg | $50–75/kg |
| Pad fueling | Hazardous, monitored | None needed |
| Supply | Foreign gas plants | U.S. brine |
Iodine shows up everywhere readiness matters.
Field medicine
Antiseptics in trauma kits, field hospitals, and shipboard medical bays.
Nuclear readiness
Potassium iodide tablets held in strategic stockpiles to protect personnel.
Radiation detection
Sensor crystals in CBRN detectors and border radiation portals.
Rugged displays
Polarizing films that keep cockpit and field screens readable in sunlight.
Long-life power
Batteries for munitions and guidance systems that sit ready for years.
Water purification
Treatment for deployed troops and disaster-relief operations.
Domestic iodine, at a lower cost.
NexGen holds the commercial rights to an electrochemical separation technology developed for critical-mineral brines, now applied to iodine.
U.S. brine
Start from domestic iodine-bearing brines instead of imported supply.
Lower-cost separation
Pull iodine out with fewer reagents and less infrastructure than conventional methods.
Defense-ready supply
Deliver a secure, U.S.-sourced material for defense, space, and industry.
Talk to us about iodine supply.
Propellant supply, defense supply chains, offtake, research partnerships, or investment. Tell us what you’re working on.
A NexGen Materials initiative · Salt Lake City, Utah