NASA tests dual mode propulsion CubeSat ahead of launch

Spacecraft propulsion traditionally relies on volatile fuels and separate, bulky systems for different types of maneuvering in space. NASA is working to change that. Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, recently completed a series of environmental and physical tests on a new small satellite designed to make spaceflight safer and more efficient.

The ASCENT (Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic) Propulsion Dual Mode mission is a flight demonstration of a spacecraft about the size of a large shoebox. The mission will test a single, integrated propulsion system that uses a common fuel tank to feed two types of engines.