ENPULSION, the market leader in small satellite propulsion, has announced that it will provide the propulsion technology for Blue Canyon Technologies' Microsat in support of the MethaneSAT mission. Blue Canyon Technologies is a small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider.
ENPULSION will provide its ENPULSION MICRO R3 thruster, a scaled version of their technology, which targets small and medium sized spacecrafts.
"The increased demand we've seen for smaller class satellites with improved capabilities require high-performance, compact and reliable propulsion systems," said Lorie Booth, program manager for Blue Canyon Technologies. "The enhanced propulsion capability of the microthruster is vital for the MethaneSAT program to meet the mission's orbit raising requirements."
The ENPULSION MICRO R3 is part of the new R3 class of thrusters that ENPULSION has developed together with several large heritage satellite manufacturers and space agencies to establish a new standard of reliability in the NewSpace Propulsion sector.
"We are proud to be involved in this exciting scientific project," said Dr. Alexander Reissner, ENPULSION's CEO.
"The ever-increasing number of BCT platforms which leverage our advanced propulsion solutions is a logical result of the mutual trust the two companies have developed and the common vision on space mobility they share. It is also a consequence of the constant efforts to improve our technology and our products. All these factors ultimately lead to successful missions and to satisfied end customers."
The donor-funded MethaneSAT mission, which is scheduled to launch in 2022, will provide global, high-resolution detection and quantification of methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, as well as measure emissions from other human-generated methane sources.
This comprehensive data will be made available to the public, and provide companies, governments and other stakeholders with a new way to track, quantify and take actionable steps to reduce methane emissions.
The ENPULSION thruster will be used to launch BCT's X-SAT Saturn-Class satellite, which offers a compact profile designed to maximize the volume, mass and power needed for the mission, and which can carry payloads up to 200 kg. As with other buses included in the BCT's X-SAT product line, the Saturn-Class is a high-agility platform, enabling the onboard instrument to collect data and revisit sites frequently.
