Busek’s Family of electrospray propulsion Solutions – BET-1mN (left), BET-100uN (right), BET-LISA (background). Photo: Busek

[Via Satellite 03-02-2016] NASA has selected Busek’s BET-100 miniature CubeSat propulsion system for a $1.6 million award. The agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is sponsoring the contract through its Small Spacecraft Technology Program. The contract carries a total value up to $2.3 million.

“There’s strong industry interest for this system,” said Nathaniel Demmons, director of electrospray propulsion at Busek. “The BET-100 micronewton-class thruster has a modular design and low power needs, making it excellent choice for a range of small spacecraft missions.”

The Busek micro-propulsion system is designed to enable higher levels of in-space maneuverability for CubeSats and small satellites. Busek developed the world’s first flight qualified electrospray thrusters, which successfully performed aboard the European Space Agency’s (ESA) LISA Pathfinder mission. The firm designed, manufactured and demonstrated more than 3,500 hours of operation prior to delivering the eight flight units to NASA’s JPL in 2008 for the mission, which launched in December 2015.
The recent NASA contract makes the BET-100 a candidate for a Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) space mission. NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley will lead the project in collaboration with the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

“We’ve successfully demonstrated the core technology in space, and now Busek is packing greater capabilities into ever smaller, highly efficient form-factors,” said Vlad Hruby, president of Busek.