NASA CubeSat puts dual micropropulsion systems through orbital trial

by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 18, 2025

NASA and commercial partners are using a small satellite mission called DUPLEX (Dual Propulsion Experiment) to demonstrate new propulsion options for small spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit and on future missions deeper into the solar system. Two micropropulsion systems that draw propellant from spools of polymer fibers are now undergoing an in-space test campaign after the CubeSat's deployment from the International Space Station on Dec. 2.

The DUPLEX spacecraft, a CubeSat built by Champaign-Urbana Aerospace in Illinois, is fitted with a pair of thruster systems designed to deliver performance comparable to existing smallsat propulsion technologies while improving safety during assembly and reducing cost. One of these systems is a fiber-fed pulsed plasma thruster, which uses electric pulses to vaporize Teflon and accelerate the resulting ions to generate efficient thrust with low propellant consumption.

The second system on DUPLEX is a monofilament vaporization propulsion unit that draws on techniques similar to those used in 3D printers. This thruster heats and vaporizes Delrin, a common polymer, to create a continuous thrust stream that can be applied for orbit changes and station-keeping maneuvers.

Over about two years on orbit, mission operators will command DUPLEX to raise and lower its orbit, using both propulsion systems to show how they can maintain and adjust a spacecraft's trajectory over time. Micropropulsion capabilities of this kind support orbit maintenance, collision avoidance with debris or nearby spacecraft, and coordinated maneuvers between satellites for tasks such as inspections or servicing operations in an increasingly crowded low Earth orbit environment.

NASA notes that flight demonstrations like DUPLEX can also enable lower cost, longer-duration missions at the Moon, Mars, and other destinations by giving small spacecraft more control over their paths and lifetimes. Technologies proven on the mission are expected to help U.S. companies offer efficient, affordable propulsion solutions that support a growing orbital economy and future agency requirements.

The DUPLEX mission is supported by NASA's Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems program at the agency's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, with funding from the Small Business Innovation Research program and a 2019 Tipping Point industry partnership award through the Space Technology Mission Directorate.