Ignis

Ignis [Astro Digital]

Ignis is a technology demonstration satellite by Astro Digital to demonstrate a new propulsion system on a 6U CubeSat.

Ignis includes the Apollo Constellation Engine (ACE), a Hall Thruster which ionizes and expels a high density proprietary propellant. The spacecraft bus is the Corvus-6 design with a 6U CubeSat form factor. The common satellite bus uses reaction wheels, magnetic torque coils, star trackers, magnetometers, sun sensors, and gyroscopes to enable precision 3-axis pointing without the use of propellant.

The spacecraft was to be launched aboard a LauncherOne rocket built by Virgin Orbit from Guam into a medium inclination low Earth orbit.