The UK Space Agency has a new plasma thruster in development, called Aquajet. It joins other water-based thrusters covered previously such as Bradford Space’s Comet, Tethers Unlimited’s HYDROS, and Momentus’ Vigor. Aquajet will utilize electrical current to positively charge and accelerate water ions which are then expelled from the thruster chamber at high velocity to generate thrust.
Read MoreWater is the first resource many in the space resources community are targeting for exploration and utilization missions. Not only is water abundant throughout the Solar System, but it is one of the most useful resources. Its uses include the creation of propellant and oxidizer, use in chemical processes, and as drinking water and breathing oxygen for astronauts. Water is the oil of space. Similar to how oil drives terrestrial economies, water in space will propel the space economy, literally and figuratively.
Read MoreESA recently demonstrated the use of a butane based cold gas propulsion system to adjust the orbit of the GomX-4B CubeSat. GomX-4B was able to maintain formation with its twin, GomX-4A, up to the curvature of Earth, 4500 km away. This mission is verifying the operation for a planned CubeSat constellation. Refining CubeSat propulsion like this is key for future asteroid surveying and processing spacecraft.
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