With more satellites than ever going to orbit, the question of how to control them efficiently and precisely is of more concern than ever. Accion Systems is well placed to provide a solution to this growing challenge, and co-founder and CTO Natalya Bailey will join us at TC Sessions: Space in December to talk about the evolving market of in-space propulsion.
We’ve followed the growth of Accion for years, and back in 2016 it seemed like an idea ahead of its time: developing a super-efficient, super-compact ion thruster that could improve the maneuverability and effective lifespan of small satellites. Now, of course, it seems like an extremely valuable position to be in: the middle of a small satellite boom with five years of development behind them.
Investors seem to have taken note, and Accion raised a $42 million series C earlier in the year, intended to fund the next generation of its tiled ionic liquid electrospray (TILE) propulsion system. It’s a less complex and more compact version of ion engines the space industry has used for decades, allowing this efficient method of propulsion to be used on smaller craft.
With the latest iteration of the TILE system, the company hopes to set the stage for using it on larger spacecraft. The smallsat/CubeSat category is growing, sure, but there are big ones going up too that would happily swap propulsion systems if it gained them a few extra kilograms of payload space.
But how will mega-constellations play into this? How long until TILE is interplanetary-ready? How’s the competition shaping up? Bailey will speak to these and other topics on a panel December 14. Grab your ticket to be a part of this conversation before Friday to save $100. Register Now.