First OSSIE Mission to be Powered by Dawn Aerospace

The first OSSIE Mission mounted by UARX Space, a Spanish in-space transportation services company, will be powered by Dawn Aerospace.

OSSIE (Orbit Solutions to Simplify Injection and Exploration) is an OTV (Orbital Transport Vehicle) — sometimes called a space tug. The spacecraft can transport up to 400 kg (882 pounds) of CubeSats, PocketQubes, and other small satellites to custom orbits post-launch.

Dawn will provide complete turn-key green propulsion systems to the OSSIE spacecraft, including thrusters, reaction control systems, and tanks. Having launched fourteen thrusters this year across SpaceX's Transporter-1, Transporter-2, and Soyuz-2, Dawn's nitrous oxide and propylene-based propulsion systems are quickly gaining momentum as a leader in green propulsion and as a commercially viable replacement to hydrazine.

Modular by design, OSSIE can carry a series of RAMI (Reliable and Advanced Mission Injector) deployers for CubeSats. Each RAMI deployer has the capacity to deploy up to 12U-XL. Uniquely, these deployers enable customers to communicate to their spacecraft and charge batteries during transit as well as providing a maximum of 20mm of protrusions, the best in class.

"With their series of space-proven components, Dawn's modular system is designed to grow as we grow," said Andrés Villa, CTO at UARX Space. "They have all the building blocks and thrust levels we need, allowing us to scale systems as needed, up or down."

In-space propulsion systems are equipped with thrusters (small rocket motors) that form part of the satellite itself. They allow satellites to manoeuvre in space after their initial boost onto orbit. Thrusters serve several functions; they can perform corrective manoeuvres if a satellite has been delivered to an incorrect orbit, they can orientate a satellite, can be used for collision avoidance, and can carry a satellite further afield, for example, to a higher orbit or on a mission to the Moon or another planet.

"We are excited to be selected as UARX space's propulsion partner," said Jeroen Wink, Co-founder at Dawn Aerospace. "This is just the start of what we aim to be a very long and productive relationship. We're looking forward to the future with UARX."

The first OSSIE mission is scheduled to launch in early 2023, following an initial demonstration mission slated for 2022.

(Source: Dawn Aerospace news release. Image provided by UARX Space)