Aerojet Rocketdyne to Develop Propulsion Technology for CubeSats

April 24, 2014

Matthew Monaghan

MPS-120 CubeSat High-Impulse Adaptable Modular Propulsion System (CHAMPS) is a 1U hydrazine propulsion system that provides both primary propulsion and three-axis control capabilities in a single package.

Aerojet Rocketdyne has been awarded a contract from the Flight Opportunities Program Office at Armstrong Flight Test Center to develop propulsion technology for miniature satellites that could possibly lower cost and accelerate mission schedules. Under the first phase of the contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop and perform hot-fire tests on its MPS-120 CubeSat High-Impulse Adaptable Modular Propulsion System. If selected for a flight demonstration in a second phase, the MPS-120 would be the first chemical propulsion system ever used on a CubeSat. The MPS-120 is advanced propulsion technology that shrinks a propellant tank, isolation system, and four rocket engines into a 1000-cm³ box. The MPS-120 would be one of several same-sized units with different functions and purposes that, when stacked together, form a modular satellite known as a CubeSat.