Benchmark wins $4.9 million award for ASCENT propulsion methods

SAN FRANCISCO – The Air Drive Analysis Laboratory awarded Benchmark House Methods $4.9 million to develop propulsion methods for ASCENT monopropellant.

The 2-year award introduced Sept. 5 covers growth of Benchmark 22-newton to 100-newton propulsion methods for ASCENT. ASCENT is a non-toxic propellant developed by the Air Drive Analysis Lab.

Underneath a earlier contract, Benchmark was centered on its 22-newton Macaw thruster for ASCENT. The brand new award permits Benchmark to have a look at qualification and manufacturing readiness for 22-newton and 100-newton propulsion methods.

“It’s a shift in focus from earlier stage analysis and growth to the push to get this to a state the place we will begin introducing it into flight {hardware} and flight methods throughout the board,” Jake Teufert, Benchmark chief expertise officer, advised SpaceNews.

Benchmark is raring to start flying ASCENT-fueled propulsion methods.

“You get about 50 p.c extra impulse per gallon of gasoline from ASCENT than from hydrazine,” Teufert mentioned. “That’s a large shift in efficiency functionality. We predict that ideas the scales for the subsequent set of shoppers.”

Compatibility and Precautions

Nonetheless, some clients who’ve lengthy relied on hydrazine are cautious of recent propellants. ASCENT has flown on NASA’s Inexperienced Propellant Infusion Mission and NASA’s Lunar Flashlight.

“It is a completely different chemical, a unique fluid, so it would require completely different materials compatibility and precautions,” mentioned Kevin DiMarzio, Benchmark enterprise growth director. “We’re going to be performing rigorous campaigns of qualification all through all the completely different subsystems and parts.”

On the conclusion of the contract in 2026, Benchmark “ought to have prepared a 22-newton thruster, a 100-newton thruster and propulsion system to associate with it,” DiMarzio added.

Benchmark might be “proving that we will construct flightworthy, high-impulse, long-duration, high-thrust propulsion methods utilizing this new propellant,” Teufert mentioned.

Benchmark has gained three contract below the AFRL SPRINT program. SPRINT stands for House Propulsion Analysis and Innovation for Neutralizing Satellite tv for pc Threats.

As well as, Benchmark plans to design, construct and take a look at propulsion system prototypes to ship thrust within the 10- to 500-newton vary.

“Benchmark House Methods is thrilled to obtain our second AFRL SPRINT follow-on award, as a robust vote of confidence in our potential to efficiently crack the elusive ASCENT propellant code for scaled up authorities and navy missions in house,” Michael Martin, Benchmark Superior Propellants Group director, mentioned in an announcement. “Benchmark’s method to creating ASCENT a viable and dependable various to hydrazine is centered across the elimination of pricy catalyst beds to scale back thruster prices and speed up the scalability and business adoption of ASCENT for future spacecraft within the 10-500 Newton thrust vary.”

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