Spacedev was awarded a $100,000 contract by the U.S. Air Force to develop a hybrid propulsion system for nanosatellites, the company announced June 14.

Spacedev will define the parameters and perform preliminary analysis of the system under the Small Business Innovation Research contract, which was awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

If Spacedev’s work is successful, future contracts would cover design, fabrication and ground testing of the system and the launch of an operational propulsion system for in- space testing.