Accion Systems is developing stamp-sized electric propulsion technology to change how we move and control spacecraft.
The cutting-edge electric propulsion technology pioneered by Accion Systems will change what spacecraft are capable of achieving in outer space. Recently, Louis Perna, co-founder and chief scientist of Accion Systems, spoke about ion propulsion technology and its role in our future to Science: Disrupt.
Perna laid out his vision for the future of spaceflight and described the obstacles and opportunities facing electric propulsion technology.
“[N]ow that launches are cheaper and the vehicles are cheaper it’s a lot less risky to experiment,” Perna said, continuing, “…I see a lot of these new missions adopting electric propulsion technologies, figuring out which ones work well and which ones don’t, what changes we need to make them work, and then across the board adopting electric propulsion for small satellites.”
Perna stated, “Once you’re in space they start to become applicable, and there’s really no limit on what you can apply [electric propulsion technology] to.”