propulsion
Air Force’s rocket propulsion arm looking to invest in technologies for ‘responsive launch’
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s rocket propulsion arm is asking space companies to help identify technologies and capabilities the military will need to launch missions on short timelines.
Agile supplies thrusters for Astrobotic, ispace and Masten lunar landers
Agile Space Industries, a Durango, Colorado company focused on in-space chemical propulsion, is additively manufacturing thrusters for robotic lunar landers being built by Astrobotic Technology, ispace and Masten Space Systems.
Benchmark green propellant thrusters installed on Sherpa tug
The first set of green bipropellant thrusters developed by in-space propulsion company Benchmark Space Systems has been installed on a Sherpa tug by Spaceflight for launch in January.
Voyager Space acquires propulsion company Valley Tech Systems
Voyager Space announced Oct. 4 it has acquired Valley Tech Systems, a company that developed solid-fueled propulsion for long-range missiles, as well as signal processing and geolocation technologies for the U.S. military.
Morpheus opens U.S. office and names chief revenue officer
German propulsion startup Morpheus Space has opened a Los Angeles office and named a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and fighter pilot as its chief revenue officer.
Frontier Aerospace wins second propulsion contract from Astrobotic
SAN FRANCISCO – Southern California startup Frontier Aerospace has won contracts to supply propulsion systems for two Astrobotic lunar landers.
Simi Valley, California-based Frontier Aerospace was already building 150-pound and 10-pound t…
Water propulsion technologies picking up steam
When the Aerospace Corp. launched the Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration in 2017, one mission objective was to test water-fueled thrusters. At the time, the idea was fairly novel. Two years later, water-based propulsion is moving rapidly into the mainstream.
New thruster aims to help microsats bust out of the kiddy pool
LOGAN, Utah — Stellar Exploration, a space technology company based in San Luis Obispo, California, is in the midst of qualification testing of a miniature propulsion system for planetary microsatellite missions.
What’s unusual about th…
House passes two space bills
The House of Representatives passed two non-controversial space bills June 27 addressing leadership in rocket propulsion research and licensing of commercial space support vehicles.
Phase Four’s smallsat plasma thruster finds a ride to space
Phase Four LLC, a startup based in El Segundo, California, announced plans March 7 to conduct the first on-orbit demonstration of its plasma propulsion technology in late 2017.
Advanced space propulsion startup shuts down
A Colorado company that said last year it had achieved a technological breakthrough in space transportation has decided to shut down, citing the high costs and risks associated with further development.
Green Propulsion System Mated with GPIM Satellite
The propulsion system is powered by a fuel that is more efficient and environmentally friendly than the hydrazine propellants typically used on spacecraft.
Aerojet Rocketdyne Wraps Green Propulsion System
Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed a green propulsion system that will be tested on a NASA mission in 2016.
Op-ed | Green Space Propulsion: For a Sustainable Space Era
If stringent demands are posed for the foundation of an environmentally sustainable space era, enabling a comprehensive tool set of sustainable space solutions appears as an important choice. However, sustainability is a broad term within this context. Achievement of environmental sustainability
U.S. Air Force Outlines First Steps in RD-180 Replacement Effort
Facing congressional pressure to begin work on an American replacement for the Russian-built main rocket engine used today to launch most U.S. national security payloads, the U.S. Air Force quietly unveiled the initial steps in a procurement strategy that has been complicated by a key industry player’s own plans.
AFRL Gives Seal of Approval to British Air-breathing Engine Design
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has answered with a qualified “yes” the question of whether a British company’s revolutionary air-breathing rocket engine, designed for a horizontal-takeoff vehicle climbing to orbit with a single stage, holds promise.
Orbital ATK Propulsion Division Lays off 61
Orbital ATK has laid off 61 people in its propulsion systems division, the company said .
U.S. Lawmaker Wants NASA Working on Interstellar Propulsion
NASA’s proposed, and oft-reviled, Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) may be worth doing if it helps pave the way for an electric-powered interstellar rocket engine, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) said.
CNES Gives All-Electric Satellite Research a $30 Million Jolt with More To Come
The principal beneficiaries of the government program have been France’s two main satellite prime contractors, Airbus Defence and Space, and Thales Alenia Space.
Spotlight | Busek Co. Inc.
Vlad Hruby founded Busek in 1985 to further development of plasma devices.
