Tag: Propulsion Systems
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Evolution Space Successfully Completes First Space Mission Passing the Kármán Line
Evolution Space, a Mojave, Calif-based solid propulsion and launch provider, announced the successful completion of their first space mission, Gold Chain Cowboy. The rocket reached apogee at 124.5 kilometers (408,456 ft), 24.5 km past the Kármán line – the internationally recognized boundary of space. This marks a significant milestone for the company and the greater…
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Blue Origin Reveals New Shepard Mishap Due to Engine Nozzle Failure
Blue Origin’s NS-23 mishap was direct cause of thermo-structural failure of the engine nozzle. The resulting thrust misalignment properly triggered the Crew Capsule escape system, which functioned as designed throughout the flight. The Crew Capsule and all payloads onboard landed safely and will be flown again. All systems designed to protect public safety functioned as…
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Ursa Major Successfully Completes Hotfire Test Campaign of Ripley Engine
Ursa Major, America’s leading privately funded company focused solely on rocket propulsion, today announced a milestone in the development of its redesigned 50,000-POUND THRUST “Ripley” rocket engine: successful hot fire tests. The test campaign showed the integrated Ripley engine including turbomachinery, oxidizer-rich pre-burner, and additive-manufactured copper thrust chamber assembly firing as a complete system in…
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Benchmark Space Systems Ramps Up Production of Metal Plasma and Bi-Propellant Thrusters
Laser-focused on delivering mobility without compromise, Benchmark Space Systems announced that it has signed contracts for nearly two dozen new electric metal plasma thrusters (MPTs), with some set to play a key role in upcoming, unnamed in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) satellite docking demonstration missions. The bulk of Benchmark’s first MPT orders will be…
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Pale Blue Successfully Operates its Water Vapor Propulsion System in Low Earth Orbit
Pale Blue succeeded in operating the water vapor propulsion system (resistojet) in low earth orbit. Pale Blue’s propulsion system was installed on “EYE,” a nano-satellite for STAR SPHERE Project, and tested for the first time in space. Going forward, the company will innovate and expand the commercial use of its water-based propulsion systems for small…
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Neumann Space and Inovor Technologies Successfully Delivers Electric Propulsion System
Neumann Space, a technology leader of in-space electric propulsion, and Inovor Technologies, Australia’s leading satellite manufacturer, have announced that together, the companies have successfully completed delivery of the Neumann Drive with the Apogee satellite platform ready for spacecraft integration and launch. This milestone represents the first time an Australian electric propulsion product has qualified for…
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Thales Alenia Space to Provide Electric Propulsion for Korea’s GEO-KOMPSAT-3 Satellite
Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to provide electric propulsion for incorporation on their GEO-KOMPSAT-3 (GK3) satellite. Scheduled for launch in 2027, GK3 is a multi-band communications satellite that will provide broadband satellite communication services in the Korean…
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NASA Selects Experimental Space Technology Concepts from NIAC Program for Initial Study
Imagine a future in space where pellet-beam propulsion systems speed up travel to other worlds, pipelines on the Moon transport oxygen between settlements, and Martian bricks grow on their own before being assembled into homes. Researchers will delve into these ideas and more using NASA grant funding. The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program fosters…
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Pale Blue Provides Water-based Propulsion System to Sony for its Spacetainment Project
Pale Blue has provided a water vapor propulsion system (water engine) for a nano-satellite of Sony’s STAR SPHERE Project. The propulsion system will enter and maintain the orbit of the satellite, which will fly in Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 500 km to 600 km. Leveraging its technology, the water propulsion system will…
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Hypernova to Test Electric Propulsion System on EnduroSat’s Platform
Hypernova will validate its proprietary plasma electric propulsion system, in orbit, on EnduroSat’s Platform-2. The launch is scheduled for January 2023 on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-6 mission. With support from EnduroSat’s Space Service, the thrusters are expected to perform an extensive testing campaign with several satellite maneuvers under a wide variety of operational modes &…