Session
Poster Session 2
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
As satellite deployment accelerates across both commercial and institutional missions, the limitations of onboard propulsion, especially in SmallSats, are emerging as a key constraint in mission flexibility and sustainability. In 2023, more than 2,860 SmallSats were launched, accounting for 97% of all spacecraft and 63% of total orbital mass [1].
Despite this expansion, propulsion remains a critical constraint in the SmallSat development ecosystem. As of 2024, only 222 nanosatellites out of 2714 nanosatellites launched had confirmed onboard propulsion systems [5], limiting maneuverability, increasing deployment risks, and contributing to orbital debris. This gap reflects not a lack of technological capability, but a shortfall in scalable production capacity.
Propulsion systems are essential for orbit maintenance, collision avoidance, and end-of-life disposal. Failures in these subsystems can result in partial or complete mission loss [2]. Statistically, propulsion-related anomalies increased to 6.63% after five years in orbit [3].
Morpheus Space is addressing the challenges around the adoption of electric propulsion, its reliability, and industry supply by developing the GO-2 Electric Propulsion System and opening its mass production facility in Germany. GO-2's modular architecture is engineered for functional redundancy and manufacturing scalability. Recently, GO-2 was successfully demonstrated in space during an In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) mission with D-Orbit.
Document Type
Event
Propelling the Future of Satellite Mobility: In-Orbit Demonstration of the GO-2 Electric Propulsion System
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
As satellite deployment accelerates across both commercial and institutional missions, the limitations of onboard propulsion, especially in SmallSats, are emerging as a key constraint in mission flexibility and sustainability. In 2023, more than 2,860 SmallSats were launched, accounting for 97% of all spacecraft and 63% of total orbital mass [1].
Despite this expansion, propulsion remains a critical constraint in the SmallSat development ecosystem. As of 2024, only 222 nanosatellites out of 2714 nanosatellites launched had confirmed onboard propulsion systems [5], limiting maneuverability, increasing deployment risks, and contributing to orbital debris. This gap reflects not a lack of technological capability, but a shortfall in scalable production capacity.
Propulsion systems are essential for orbit maintenance, collision avoidance, and end-of-life disposal. Failures in these subsystems can result in partial or complete mission loss [2]. Statistically, propulsion-related anomalies increased to 6.63% after five years in orbit [3].
Morpheus Space is addressing the challenges around the adoption of electric propulsion, its reliability, and industry supply by developing the GO-2 Electric Propulsion System and opening its mass production facility in Germany. GO-2's modular architecture is engineered for functional redundancy and manufacturing scalability. Recently, GO-2 was successfully demonstrated in space during an In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) mission with D-Orbit.
