the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) aerospace team is breaking through bottlenecks in micro‑ and nano‑satellite propulsion technology, developing the world’s first “dual‑mode single‑propellant” space propulsion system that seamlessly integrates chemical and electric propulsion. at the heart of this system is a novel high‑energy ionic liquid propellant, enabling, for the first time, a single fuel tank to simultaneously power both a high‑thrust chemical nozzle and an ultra‑high specific impulse electrostatic ion thruster. this breakthrough opens up entirely new pathways for cubesats to undertake diverse missions, including deep-space exploration, rapid response orbital maneuvers, and long-term precision attitude control.
conventional small satellites, constrained by size and mass limitations, typically must choose between high thrust (chemical propulsion) and high efficiency (electric propulsion). the mit team has taken a different approach, successfully adapting ascent—a environmentally friendly monopropellant developed by the u.s. air force, which combines high energy density with excellent ionic conductivity—to a miniature electrospray thruster. experiments demonstrate that this lego‑brick‑sized propellant storage module, with viscosity comparable to baby oil and carrying just one gram of fuel per chamber, can stably sustain continuous operation of an electrostatic thruster no larger than a fingernail for over 100 hours—performance rivaling that of today’s mainstream electric propellants.
more importantly, ascent was originally optimized for chemical propulsion; its exothermic decomposition reaction can directly drive a miniature nozzle to produce instantaneous high thrust. building on this, mit has created a truly “one‑propellant, dual‑use” architecture: in the gpdm (green propulsion dual mode) cubesat mission, a briefcase‑sized 6u cubesat will integrate, for the first time, one chemical thruster and four electrostatic ion thrusters—all fed from a single tank. scheduled for launch by nasa in november 2024, this mission will mark the first in‑orbit demonstration of dual‑mode co‑propellant propulsion on a micro‑nano platform.
project leader professor paulo lozano notes that this synergistic architecture grants small satellites unprecedented mission flexibility—enabling them to function as “deep-space cruisers,” using electric propulsion to steadily accelerate across tens of millions of kilometers to reach mars or the asteroid belt, while also transforming into “orbital agile scouts” that can activate chemical propulsion near their targets to perform high‑precision hovering, flybys, or multi‑angle imaging. dr. amelia bruno emphasizes that ionic liquids are inherently low‑volatile, non‑toxic, and thermally stable, significantly reducing ground‑operation risks and on‑orbit failure probabilities, making them an ideal propellant medium for sustainable space exploration.
the related findings, titled “performance characterization of an electrospray thruster using a high‑energy ionic liquid monopropellant,” were published on may 31, 2026, in the american institute of aeronautics and astronautics’ (aiaa) prestigious journal, journal of propulsion and power, and received special funding support from nasa. this technology not only promises to reshape the paradigm of deep‑space micro‑exploration but could also empower dynamic constellations in low earth orbit—for example, enabling a cluster of cubesats to execute synchronized orbital maneuvers and focused observations hours before extreme weather events, thus realizing truly “flexible, fast or slow, scalable and controllable” smart space infrastructure.
