El Segundo, California-based Phase Four builds next-generation electric thrusters for small satellites, with six operating in orbit so far.
Jim Bridenstine, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, speaks during a Senate hearing on Sept. 30, 2020.The move sees the former NASA chief throw his experience and reputation behind a startup with a unique propellant technology. Bridenstine has joined up with larger, established organizations since leaving the space agency.
Bridenstine told CNBC that Phase Four's approach of using radio frequency to utilize a wide variety of propellant types – including xenon, krypton, iodine and water – is "going to be an absolute game changer for these proliferated [low Earth orbit satellite] constellations."Phase Four's propellant flexibility gives the company stability in the face of a geopolitical threat, Bridenstine said.
Phase Four has contracts to develop and produce thrusters from the Air Force and DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, as well as commercial orders from companies likeThe company has 32 employees and is expanding into a 23,000-square-foot facility in Hawthorne, California. It plans to raise another funding round in 2023 and to grow to about 50 people over the next 12 months.
Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)
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