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Phase Four signs contract with NASA

Phase Four, a provider of electric radio frequency (RF) thrusters for in-space propulsion, says NASA has purchased one of Phase Four's second-generation RF thrusters to vet its capabilities for small satellite propulsion.

The Phase Four thruster is part of an Integrated Propulsion Assembly (IPA) that contains: propellant storage and management, engine control electronics, power processing, and a thruster in one integrated solution. NASA will utilise the P4 propulsion solution to gain operational flight experience that demonstrates Phase Four's capability to meet NASA's upcoming small satellite mission goals. The IPA will be delivered to NASA in 2019. "Propulsion systems are one of the most challenging and expensive components in a satellite, so we're excited by the potential to bring a cost-effective solution to NASA's upcoming SmallSat missions," said Jason Wallace, VP of Operations at Phase Four and Program Manager for this NASA contract, in a press release. "We look forward to working closely with NASA to field the next generation of the Phase Four thruster." Based in El Segundo, CA, Phase Four builds an electrode-less RF thruster, the smallest plasma propulsion system available, which can be scaled for Cube- and SmallSat constellation satellites to larger, bus-sized satellites.

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March 15 2024 2:25 pm V22.4.5-2
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