Dawn Aerospace today announced another of the company’s CubeSat propulsion units, designed to manoeuvre small satellites in space, has been successfully launched.
The CubeSat propulsion unit flew on Hiber Three, an Internet-of-Things (IoT) satellite created by European company Hiber. The satellite was launched on 22 March from Baikonur on a Rosocosmos Soyuz-2 rocket.
The CubeSat propulsion unit is a new-to-market, green propulsion system by Dawn Aerospace and Hyperion Technologies. The propulsion unit allowed Hiber Three to use a cost-effective rideshare launch to reach orbit, but then manoeuvre into position with the already on-orbit Hiber One, Two and Four under its own power – becoming part of the constellation. This is a low-cost and quick way for satellites to reach their destination without the need for dedicated launch vehicles.
Hiber estimates that using Dawn’s CubeSat propulsion will result in Hiber Three’s arrival at the desired orbit three months faster than using electric propulsion. Having propulsion onboard also ensures the satellite, and its future descendants, avoid collisions and can be maneuvered by ground engineers.
As a responsible operator, and as a means to mitigate against space debris, Hiber intends to deorbit satellites at the end of their life using Dawn’s propulsion technology. The propulsion unit is used to push a satellite back towards Earth, and the 10cm x 10cm x 30 cm (3U) satellite will burn-up on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Last night’s success makes this the eighth in-space propulsion unit Dawn has launched this year – another CubeSat propulsion unit launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-1 mission in January, along with six of the company’s B20 thrusters. Dawn Aerospace is focused on delivering sustainable, scalable space solutions; delivering, positioning, and returning (de-orbiting) satellites. The company utilizes unique self-pressurizing green-propellants for in-space propulsion.
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