gpim ‘Green’ Alternative Fuel Set for First In-Space Test

Satellites love hydrazine – a type of space propellant – but it’s toxic to people and extremely difficult to handle. A non-toxic alternative will be put to the test with NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. GPIM is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the U.S. Department of Defense Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission. The satellite is shown here attached to the inside of the rocket. GPIM is one of two dozen satellites aboard the STP-2 launch, which is managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.