As cubesats prove their ability to capture imagery and gather scientific data, developers are eager to send the miniature spacecraft on increasingly complex missions, many of which require propulsion. "With any satellite there's a lot of mission capability you can get when you're able to maneuver," said Andrew Petro, NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology program executive. "We are trying to do more things with these satellites and that requires mobility." NASA is exploring a wide range of propulsion technologies to enable cubesats to change altitude, conduct proximity operations, disperse and form arrays, including cold gas, monopropellant, liquefied gas, solid rocket, Hall effect and electrospray thrusters. "We want to cast a wide net," Petro said. "We are not looking for one solution, but for a whole set of solutions."
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