Bimodal Drive
In June 2026, MIT researchers showed that a single propellant can fuel both a high-thrust chemical thruster and an ultra-efficient ion thruster on the same smallsat — eliminating a second propellant tank and enabling CubeSats to tackle deep-space missions. Hold Thrust to accelerate; switch modes to manage your fuel budget and reach the asteroid.
MODE
FUEL REMAINING
100%
VELOCITY (×10⁻⁴ px/f)
0.0
DIST TO TARGET
492
PROPELLANT — single tank, dual modeION burn rate: 4.5×
🔥 Chemical Isp ~250 s⚡ Ion Isp ~3,000 s
Bimodal propulsion architecture
Bimodal Drive · cycles every 7 s
June 2026 Breakthrough
MIT researchers demonstrated that a single monopropellant can simultaneously fuel a chemical thruster (for quick high-thrust maneuvers) and an electric ion thruster (for efficient long-range cruise) on the same smallsat, eliminating the need to carry two separate propellant systems.