Solar Sails
CU Aerospace is developing the exciting new ultra-large, ultra-lightweight UltraSail concept, which is estimated to deliver payload mass fractions as high as 60% for interplanetary missions. Solar Sails rely on solar photon pressure acting on a reflective film.

As a risk reduction for UltraSail, CUA has designed and built CubeSail, a system of 2x1.5U CubeSat satellites which is highly scalabe. CUA is also presently developing an innovative electric propulsion system for CubeSats.

Gallium Electro-Magnetic Thruster (GEM)
The GEM Thruster is a high-power propulsion system that CUA is developing for potential cislunar and interplanetary cargo and manned missions. GEM thrusters are a better choice than xenon Hall Thrusters because gallium is significantly more affordable and more readily available than xenon.

Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs)
CU Aerospace has also developed highly-improved low-power Teflon-fueled thrusters for satellites. Electric thrusters operate at high specific impulse (500-5000 sec) to reduce fuel mass. The PPT uses advanced power conditioning equipment and is useful for station-keeping of satellite constellations, as a substitute for momentum wheels in attitude control systems, and as a precision thrust source for formation-flying satellite systems. Achieving the efficiency target of 25% would make the thruster much less expensive than the commonly-used Hall Thruster. Similar to the GEM thruster, the PPT is also competitive because the solid propellant system is simpler, less expensive, and more reliable than high-pressure xenon systems.