A Japanese propulsion company developing water-based thrusters is planning to test its system on a Sony nanosatellite launched earlier this month.
Sony picked Pale Blue to provide in-orbit propulsion for its Star Sphere project, providing still photographs and 4K video services.
Along with 113 other satellites riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket, Sony’s first satellite for the project was launched as part of SpaceX’s Transporter 6 mission. The 6U CubeSat Star Sphere-1 has a full-frame camera on board.
The satellite also has a Pale Blue water vapor propulsion system, which will be utilized in the company’s first in-space demonstration of its water engine, which will take place within a few days.
Pale Blue noted that using a small thruster like their water-based system would help Sony eventually prolong the lifespan of their nanosatellites. The Japanese propulsion firm touts that it could potentially increase its life by roughly 2.5 years.
On top of that, the space firm highlights that the water-vapor propellant is also eco-friendly. So given that the demand for small satellites is rapidly increasing these days, this might be a good solution to care more for the environment.
“I am very pleased that our safe, sustainable, and low-cost water thruster can contribute to this project, and we are committed to the development of the space industry,” Jun Asakawa, CEO and co-founder of Pale Blue, said in a statement(opens in new tab).
Interesting Engineering notes in its report that Pale Blue is working on several water-based propulsion technologies as a result of research done by the University of Tokyo and the Japanese space agency JAXA.