NASA Completes Ground Tests for Dual‑Mode Propulsion CubeSat Ahead of Falcon 9 Launch

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center finished environmental and physical tests on the ASCENT (Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non‑Toxic) Dual‑Mode propulsion CubeSat, a 6‑U spacecraft that will use a single non‑toxic propellant tank to feed both high‑thrust combustion and low‑thrust electrospray engines. The CubeSat underwent spin, thermal vacuum, and helium leak tests to verify mass properties, thermal resilience, and seal integrity. After final system checkouts and solar array integration, the satellite will launch no earlier than Oct. 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg. In low‑Earth orbit it will perform a nine‑month mission alternating between chemical and electric maneuvers to demonstrate the dual‑mode concept, potentially reducing mass and cost for future missions.