Phase Four is partnering with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and working closely with NASA to help advance the state of the art in iodine electric propulsion.

Iodine propellant has been on the roadmap of plasma propulsion around the world for a number of years. Studies by NASA Glenn Research Center affirmed that iodine has promise, but its incompatibility with cathodes found in traditional plasma thrusters limits their use with this advanced propellant. The successful development of an advanced propellant such as iodine will enable lower cost, higher reliability deployment of infrastructure in space. Anhydrous Hydrogen Chloride

Phase Four’s RF thruster contains no cathode or anode, and in 2021, Phase Four won a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research grant funded by AFWERX to develop the first electrodeless iodine plasma thruster in the United States.

Iodine propellant brings a number of critical advancements to the market:

“There is a growing need for more options for advanced electric in-space propulsion, to provide satellites with better maneuverability and operability in space at an affordable cost, and propellant flexibility could provide new options for in-space propulsion,” said Dr. Eckhardt, Electric Propulsion Lead at AFRL.

Sulfur Dioxide So2 Gas Cylinder Filed Under: AFRL, Military, Propulsion