Delft, the Netherlands - 11 November 2024

Dawn Aerospace, a global leader in green satellite propulsion, is excited to announce its role in providing propulsion modules for two lunar data relay satellites, in which  Blue Canyon Technologies will design the microsatellite buses and integrate the communications payloads.

The two Venus-class microsatellite buses are developed by Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Dawn is working closely with BCT to realize a highly capable reaction control system, to give responsive and precise maneuvering capability using green propellants.  These satellites will play a critical role in enabling communication to a lunar lander relaying data from Earth to the lunar surface. 

 This collaboration marks the second lunar mission and third beyond LEO for Dawn Aerospace’s nitrous based green propulsion. This builds on flight heritage of 82 thrusters on 17 satellites in low Earth orbit.

“With three missions beyond LEO on the books, I can see there is a wider acceptance of nitrous propulsion as a compelling solution for demanding missions, especially in deep space” commented CEO, Stefan Powell.     

The Deep Space Advantage for Nitrous-Based Propulsion

It is well understood that traditional chemical propellants, such as hydrazine, require substantial thermal management to stop propellant from freezing in deep space. While this is well understood, it can drive satellite design sustainably, and is a risk should heaters fail, even if only temporarily.  

Nitrous and propylene propellants have extremely low freezing points; -90°C and -185°C lower than hydrazine respectively, which has a similar freezing point to water. This means that the satellites using nitrous propulsion can be allowed to run at much lower temperatures, and without risk of propellant freezing, saving power and complexity, while maintaining high performance and low toxicity.

As part of this mission development, Dawn Aerospace has carried heavy ion testing to evaluate and qualify all system electronics for extended duration in a lunar environment. Testing was  conducted at NASA's Space Radiation Laboratory, located at Brookhaven National Laboratory in June 2024.

“With this testing, we add further confidence on top of the already performed total Ionizing dose (TID) and proton testing we have done over the years.” said CEO, Stefan Powell. “This gives us full confidence that we can operate in the harsh environment of deep space, but also boosts reliability for our other 20+ customers, regardless of their mission.”  

The two Venus-class microsatellites are scheduled for launch in 2026