MISSION CAPABILITIES

Government

Orbital debris, as well as ballistic and hypersonic weaponry, pose a growing threat to critical remote sensing and communications infrastructure in space. To ensure mission success, satellites need propulsion systems that deliver extreme resiliency and survivability

Mission Critical Advantages

Fault Tolerant Design

Thruster chip arrays are inherently redundant, so a single failure won’t compromise the mission. Common failure points like external cathodes and plasma electrodes have also been eliminated.

Detection Avoidance

Unlike other electric propulsion systems, ionization doesn’t produce easily detectable emissions of high-power RF, infrared, visible light, or UV radiation.

Minimal Risk of Explosion

Debris can rupture and explode pressurized gas tanks, creating a cloud of new debris that threatens other satellites in the constellation. TILE’s low-pressure liquid propellant minimizes the risk of explosion in orbit.

Multi-mode Compatibility

TILE can share a common propellant with some high-thrust, low-efficiency propulsion systems for increased satellite agility and resiliency.

Low Thrust Latency

Control your satellite in real time or program its trajectory. TILE can initiate thrust instantly, without long warm up or cool down periods.

Export Control

Every component is developed, tested, and manufactured in the United States. Strategic partnerships with NASA and the US Department of Defense accelerate our nation’s future in space.

Deep-Space Efficiency

TILE is the most efficient form of propulsion, with a higher total impulse for a fraction of the SWaP. That leaves more space and power for critical deep-space payloads.

Government Partnerships

Air Force Research Lab (AFRL)

Accion’s contracts with AFRL to accelerate electrospray technology for national security missions include: a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), a Space Propulsion Research and Innovation for Neutralizing Satellite Threats (SPRINT) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), and a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract through AFWERX.

NASA

NASA selected Accion for a Tipping Point partnership to help enable the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. Accion and JPL are working to replace the cold gas thrusters used on NASA’s MarCO cubesat mission with a more efficient TILE ionic liquid electrospray thruster.

International Space Station

As part of a rideshare mission with MIT and Nanoracks in 2021, TILE has been approved for safe handling onboard the International Space Station. The propulsion system uses a low-pressure ionic liquid propellant that is non-toxic, non-reactive, and non-explosive.