That atmospheric material is brought into the propulsion system, heated and ionized, then accelerated and expelled to generate thrust. Kreios Space believes that approach could make sustained operations at these unusually low altitudes practical. Conventional spacecraft in LEO generally require only periodic orbital corrections because atmospheric drag at many commonly used altitudes is relatively modest. It changes with altitude and responds to solar activity, meaning the propulsion system has to function in an environment whose properties can vary. Integrating an experimental propulsion system into a spacecraft involves far more than physically attaching a thruster.