Neumann Space, a technology leader of in-space electric propulsion has announced that it has signed a contract with European microsatellite manufacturer Space Inventor that will enable it to gain greater access to space as part of its program of in-orbit demonstration (IOD).
As part of the contract, Space Inventor will provide Neumann Space with the opportunity to integrate its next generation Neumann Drive as an IOD payload on board a 6U EDISON Satellite scheduled for launch in the second half of 2024.
The companies said in a joint press release that they will 'collaborate to test, demonstrate, and verify ease of integration, ease of operation and the performance of the Neumann Drive' whose unique propulsion technology uses solid metallic propellant.
Space Inventor’s new mission and payload operations will provide Neumann Space with access to the data of the Neumann Drive automatically, enabling it to more rapidly analyse and assess the technology to further its commercialisation approach.
Neumann Space currently has a series of in-orbit demonstrations planned for 2023 and 2024 with its first flight scheduled for this month, supporting its commercialisation endeavour, the company said.
“We are pleased to be working with Space Inventor, our first official European partner, and to be on board their high-performance satellite platform as part of the EDISON Mission," Neumann Space’s CEO, Herve Astier said. "It is also our first mission under the European Space Agency umbrella. Our program of in-orbit demonstrations is growing in both size and breadth, with a broad range of Australian and International satellite manufacturers now collaborating with us to test and refine the Neumann Drive’s performance as we together seek to deliver better mobility in space."
“I am pretty excited that we will host Neumann Space’s propulsion system on our EDISON satellite," Karl Kaas, CEO of Space Inventor, said. "When I first met the Neumann team at the SmallSat conference in 2022, their choice of technology and deep technical knowledge convinced me that this company and its people would succeed - succeed in turning the science into a product and succeed in bringing the product to a market starving for a reliable thruster for small satellites.”
The EDISON Mission is a part of the European Space Agency’s Pioneer programme, designed to support emerging companies seeking to provide new and innovative satellite communications technologies and services.