NASA ASCENT propulsion mission completes environmental and physical tests

NASA's ASCENT Propulsion Dual Mode mission has completed environmental and physical tests of its flight hardware. The mission is a flight demonstration of a compact propulsion system that uses one non-toxic propellant called ASCENT. The effort is entering its final preparation phase.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the mission, which requires a nationwide collaborative effort. NASA is working to change the spacecraft propulsion paradigm.

The flight hardware is about the size of a large shoebox and is a single integrated propulsion system with a common fuel tank. It uses one non-toxic propellant called ASCENT and pairs a high-thrust combustion engine with low-thrust electrospray thrusters fed from one central tank.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is developing the electrospray thrusters. Plasma Processes is building the chemical propulsion module, and Georgia Institute of Technology is integrating the spacecraft bus.

Flight hardware was tested inside the Small Spacecraft Servicing and Integration Lab. The team conducted extensive leak testing, and a pressurized helium leak test showed that the seals were working. Thermal vacuum testing used a specialized vacuum chamber that reproduced harsh conditions to confirm the systems can operate in orbit.

A spin test measured mass properties and center of gravity, validating stable flight and correct attitude.

The mission shows NASA pursuing a different propulsion approach: one compact system that uses a single non-toxic propellant and combines high-thrust combustion with low-thrust electrospray propulsion. That is relevant to lunar-industry readers because propulsion architecture influences spacecraft design choices.

The finished environmental, leak, thermal vacuum and spin tests show the hardware has been evaluated for harsh conditions, mass properties, stable flight and correct attitude. Those checks are central to preparing a flight demonstration.

The mission is entering final stages of preparation. The remaining work includes final system checkouts, integrating solar arrays, and shipping the hardware.