About Us

The Leader in Development and Infusion of ASCENT-based Technology

Rubicon Space Systems is a committed champion and partner in creating a more verdant space economy. We are a developer and provider of in-space propulsion systems and thrusters that use the low-toxicity “green” and safe Advanced Space Craft Energetic Non-Toxic propellant (ASCENT), also known as AF-M315E. It is no longer a choice between “going green” or high performance. Our thruster technology offers both.

Rubicon Space Systems has more than 30 years of combined experience in developing green propulsion technologies and thousands of hours of thruster testing experience. Our team leads the world in the development and infusion of ASCENT-based technology, and we are ready to support your spacecraft mobility needs.


Meet Our Team

RSS has more than 30 years of combined experience in developing green propulsion technologies and thousands of hours of thruster testing experience. Our team leads the world in the development and infusion of ASCENT propellant technology.

Director ; Propulsion

Daniel Cavender

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Director ; Propulsion

Daniel Cavender


Mr. Cavender joins Rubicon Space Systems from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center where he was a Center Deputy Chief Technologist and a Project Manager in NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Branch and has over 15 years experience in spacecraft propulsion. He managed the development of low toxicity, chemical propulsion technologies, including the propulsion system for JPL’s Lunar Flashlight spacecraft, and supported NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM). Mr. Cavender chaired the NASA Green Propulsion Working Group and championed the development of low toxicity “Green” propulsion technologies nation wide.

Prop Systems Engineer

Mackenzie Kilcoin-McPherren

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Prop Systems Engineer

Mackenzie Kilcoin-McPherren


Mrs. Kilcoin-McPherren leads day-to-day propulsion system design and development engineering at Rubicon Space Systems, overseeing design and analysis activities, development activities, and integration planning. She manages internal and external interfaces and systems engineering. Mackenzie has assisted thruster environmental and hot fire testing operations and oversees data reduction and analysis for thruster products. Mackenzie has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University.

Prop Systems Engineer

Allison Lentz

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Prop Systems Engineer

Allison Lentz


Ms. Lentz supports development of Rubicon Space Systems’ line of ASCENT-based thrusters and propulsion systems. Allison oversees system-level analytical modelling and applies those results to inform design, needed testing configurations to validate designs, and assists in definition of operations envelops. She has background in testing components of rockets and rocket engines. Allison recently graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering.

Electrical Systems Engineer

Nathan Daniel

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Electrical Systems Engineer

Nathan Daniel


Nathan Daniel joins the Rubicon team at Plasma Processes LLC as our lead Electrical Systems Engineer. He is an adept electrical engineer with expertise in embedded systems and space propulsion systems. Nathan holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee Tech University and a Master's in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His past projects include controller development, modeling, and testing of propulsion systems for the Lunar Flashlight, SunRISE, VISORS, and SwarmEX missions. He is interested in printed circuit board design, performance modeling, flight software development, and control systems design.

Propulsion Engineer

Christian Ouellette

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Propulsion Engineer

Christian Ouellette


Christian Ouellette joins the Rubicon team at Plasma Processes LLC as a Propulsion Engineer. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. He is passionate about rocket propulsion and future space innovation.

 

Our Capabilities

  • Vacuum hot fire test capability for thrusters up to 22N class to steady state
  • ISO 8/Class 100000 clean rooms
  • In house manufacturing and testing of high temperature components
  • AS9100/ISO9001 Certified

Our Capabilities

Why Go Green

Hydrazine systems have dominated state-of-the-art development regimes spanning over half a century of progress. Although alternative propellant technologies to hydrazine have existed for some time, few have delivered as high performance for the same simplicity. While hydrazine will likely be around for another half century or more, the ASCENT monopropellant now presents the strongest monopropellant alternative to hydrazine. It has a lower vapor pressure than hydrazine, is less flammable, is easily storable, and produces more benign byproducts post-combustion.

We want to provide you several reason it is now time to “go green”.

Preeminent Performance: ASCENT demonstrates a nearly 50% increased performance over hydrazine. Factor in its volumetric-ISP, and ASCENT monopropellants have MMH/NTO bi-prop level performance with the simplicity of a monopropellant.

Simpler Systems: A hydrazine fuel leak is considered “catastrophic,” whereas ASCENT propellant hazard severity is considered “critical” and possibly “marginal” per MIL-STD-882E (Standard Practice for System Safety). This means that an ASCENT propulsion systems requires only two seals to inhibit external leakage, meaning no additional latch valves or other isolation devices are required.

Fueling Flexibility: ASCENT spacecraft fueling operations do not require Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble (SCAPE) suits, meaning that fueling operations can be performed with greater flexibility and lower cost. And fueling operations may generally be permitted as a parallel operation, and may require a smaller exclusionary zone, allowing for concurrent and accelerated launch readiness operations.

Rubicon’s line of low-toxicity “green” thrusters offer unprecedented performance with monopropellant simplicity.  Our thrusters use ASCENT, a safe, long-term storable, low toxicity propellant developed by AFRL and NASA. ASCENT delivers nearly  50% higher performance compared to hydrazine and outperforms other forms of green propulsion. Our 0.1N thrusters are on NASA’s Lunar Flashlight 6U spacecraft. We offer standalone thrusters for experienced customers to integrate into their own propulsion systems and as part of our in-house built propulsion systems.