MPUC Monopropellant Propulsion Unit for CubeSats
CU Aerospace
High-thrust monopropellant propulsion using proprietary CMP-X ethanol/hydrogen-peroxide blend — safer, lower-cost alternative to hydrazine, >2,000 Ns total impulse.
Technical specifications
- Propellant
- CMP-X (ethanol/hydrogen peroxide)
- Flame temperature
- ~900°C
- Demonstrated Isp
- 178 s at 230 mN thrust
- Continuous firing demonstrated
- >50 minutes
- Freeze temperature
- <-33°C
- Total impulse (2-liter MPUC)
- >2,000 N-s
About
CU Aerospace’s MPUC uses CMP-X, a non-detonable, energetic COTS monopropellant formulation with lower thermal load, water-like viscosity, common materials compatibility, and an additively manufactured thruster head. It is designed for customers accepting a modest performance trade-off in exchange for lower cost, easier transportability, fewer range-safety concerns, longer continuous burns, and lower flame temperature (reducing thermal soakback). The thruster/system scales from small CubeSats to greater than tens of Newtons of thrust.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
