Aerospace Corp's Disksat Gains Licensees

The Aerospace Corporation has secured commercial licensees for its Disksat satellite design. The company launched four demonstration Disksats on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket in December, and the mission is ongoing.

Company officials provided updates at the Small Satellite Conference in Utah. The mission has been successful so far. The satellites deployed from the Electron rocket, demonstrated an ability to produce 100W of peak power, and transmitted S-band signals to Earth via the Naval Postgraduate School's Mobile CubeSat Command and Control Ground Network.

Mission Objectives and Next Steps

The next phase of the Disksat mission involves testing electric propulsion and very low Earth orbit operations. The satellites will activate electric thrusters supplied by Enpulsion. They will then lower their altitude to begin testing flight capabilities in VLEO, defined as below 350 km.

Aerospace hopes the design will move satellite architecture beyond traditional boxy cubesats. The Disksat is just 1 meter in diameter and 2.5 centimeters tall. This form factor aims to solve multiple challenges.

The thin, disk-shaped satellites are built to stack efficiently inside a rocket fairing. This maximizes the number of satellites per launch, improving economics amid constrained launch availability. The slim side profile is also intended to minimize orbital drag. Reduced drag allows payloads to remain in VLEO for longer mission durations.

"We're in a phase where stackable, highly capable small satellites are being launched dozens at a time on a single rocket," said Mike Fox, systems director at Aerospace. "Flat stacks are becoming the new normal."

Commercial Adoption and Propulsion Plans

At least three customers have now licensed the Disksat design. The licensees are Neumann Space, Satlyt, and Orbotic Systems.

Australian propulsion startup Neumann Space plans to integrate its own technology into the Disksat architecture. The company will use its Flatypus propulsion system, which is based on the same core technology as its Neumann Drive but designed for the Disksat's pancake-like form.

According to Neumann Space CEO Herve Astier, the Flatypus system offers greater thrust than the Enpulsion thrusters used in the current demonstration, without increasing drag. With this license, Neumann Space is expanding its business model from solely providing propulsion systems to also offering satellite buses.

Astier told Payload the goal is to serve the growing number of companies planning constellations. The move aims to provide more robust solutions for payload operators targeting VLEO. Depending on customer demand, Neumann Space expects to launch its first Flatypus-powered Disksats as early as 2028.