April 2020
Replacing hydrazine fuel with a greener alternative
... of using a highly-toxic chemical propellant called hydrazine for space propulsion, governments and experts are demanding change. With rapid expansion of an increasingly privatised space industry, a new green alternative and a new way of thinking...
05 January 2018
Gilmour Space completes successful test of hybrid rocket engine
...that utilises a mixture of solid and liquid fuel. Gilmour Space is also reported to be the first company in the ... has already completed tests of its mini hybrid-propulsion engine – the Cubesat In-Space Propulsion System – that could one day be used ...
July 2021
Nitrous oxide – a green propellant for commercial space exploration
... propellant option and suitable for commercial applications. There are two more advantages of N2O applications for space propulsion. The first is in the possible exploitation of the N2O self-pressurisation feature that eliminates propellant expulsion...
October 2016
Unlocking the potential of annular ion engines
...missions respectively, as compared to NASA missions based on historical mission rates. Despite these opportunities, the in-space propulsion investment resources within NASA appear constrained to the development of technologies which have specific and...
April 2019
On-board propulsion set to drive the smallsat revolution
... Trevor Lafleur is a scientific consultant with over 10 years of experience in the fields of plasma physics and space propulsion. He has degrees in aeronautical engineering and theoretical physics from the University of the Witwatersrand, and holds...
January 2017
New oceans beckon for solar sail technology
... sail missions to follow. That same year, the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) flew an approximately 200 square metre solar sail in deep space that successfully demonstrated deep space propulsion and navigation as it flew in the inner solar system near...
