[Satellite Today – 5-19-08] The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) exercised an option for SpaceDev to continue work on the High Delta-V satellite program, the company announced May 19.
SpaceDev received a $3.8 million contract in October to develop solar thermal propulsion and the bus design for the program, which is intended to develop a space-qualified, low-cost, modular solar thermal propulsion system combined into a satellite.
The $3.6 million option allows SpaceDev to move to the next phase of development of the system, nanosatellite platform design and operations.
"This program has the potential to transform small satellite design and how propulsion is accomplished on orbit,” Mark Sirangelo, SpaceDev’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “It could bring this class of space technologies development to another level while showing the significant value of government-commercial collaboration for this type of operational effort."