NASA Selects Phase Four to Provide IPA for Smallsat Missions

El Segundo, Calif.-based Phase Four has received an order from NASA for an integrated propulsion assembly for small satellite missions.

Phase Four’s Chief Executive Officer Simon Halpern said the order reflects the agency’s focus on small satellites as a platform for space exploration and scientific research.

“With this contract, we will provide small satellites with the kind of affordable in-space mobility that will enable NASA to conduct a wider range of missions than currently possible,” he added.

The aerospace firm develops an electrode-less radio frequency thruster that can be designed for constellations of smallsats and larger spacecraft.

NASA expects to receive the IPA in 2019.