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Air Force

Phase Four Receives AFWERX Contract for In-Space Propulsion Systems

By Rachel Jewett

Tuesday, March 17th, 2020

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Phase Four Receives AFWERX Contract for In-Space Propulsion Systems

The Maxwell electric propulsion solution. (Photo: Phase Four)

Phase Four has received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract from Air Force tech accelerator AFWERX, to adapt its Maxwell in-space propulsion system for defense users. The contract, which starts this month, is in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Security Innovation Network. Phase Four, which makes Radio Frequency (RF) plasma engines for in-space propulsion, said its Radio-Frequency Thruster (RFT) addresses the needs of high volume satellite constellations with an architecture that allows…

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