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NASA to Launch Dual-Mode Propulsion Cubesat November 2026

6/11/2026

Summary

Story summary

NASA will launch the GPDM cubesat no earlier than November 2026 to test dual-mode propulsion.
MIT engineers showed about one gram of ASCENT can power electrospray thrusters with thrust equal to typical propellants.
The cubesat will carry one chemical thruster and four electrospray thrusters from a shared ASCENT tank supplied by Rubicon Space Systems and MIT’s Space Propulsion Laboratory, letting microsatellites allocate propellant for rapid burns or long-duration adjustments.

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Story summary

NASA will launch the GPDM cubesat no earlier than November 2026 to test dual-mode propulsion.
MIT engineers showed about one gram of ASCENT can power electrospray thrusters with thrust equal to typical propellants.
The cubesat will carry one chemical thruster and four electrospray thrusters from a shared ASCENT tank supplied by Rubicon Space Systems and MIT’s Space Propulsion Laboratory, letting microsatellites allocate propellant for rapid burns or long-duration adjustments.