POPSAT-HIP1

POPSAT-HIP1 was Microspace’s first satellite, created to demonstrate the in-orbit functionality of the company’s micromachined-silicon micropropulsion system. It launched on 19 June 2014 aboard a Dnepr rocket from Yasny, Russia, into a Low Earth Sun-Synchronous Orbit. Equipped with eight microthrusters, POPSAT-HIP1 performed a series of maneuvering experiments over a 9-month mission until its propellant was fully consumed as planned, successfully bringing Microspace’s micropropulsion system to Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL9). The mission validated a fully modular thruster architecture, individually customizable for mounting at any position on a nanosatellite, aimed at enabling attitude control, formation flight, small orbital corrections, debris avoidance, and de-orbiting with minimal impact on satellite design.