Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Michael Tsay is a pioneering aerospace engineer whose work centers on small satellite propulsion systems and lunar exploration. He is best known for his leadership on the **Lunar IceCube mission**, a NASA nanosatellite designed to prospect for water ice and other volatiles on the Moon—a critical step toward future in-situ resource utilization by robots and human explorers. This mission, one of several public-private partnerships selected for NASA’s EM-1, has garnered **33 citations** and represents a landmark in CubeSat-class deep space science. Tsay also made foundational contributions to **iodine-fueled electric propulsion**, serving as the lead developer of Busek’s BIT-3 RF ion thruster—the world’s first gridded ion thruster to operate on iodine propellant. His 2016 paper on the BIT-3’s flight development, though with **2 citations**, documents a breakthrough: a 60W thruster delivering 1.3 mN thrust and 3,200 seconds Isp, validated by a 500-hour endurance test. This technology enables high-ΔV maneuvers for small spacecraft, transforming CubeSats from passive observers into active explorers. Tsay’s work bridges cutting-edge propulsion physics with practical mission design, making him a key figure in the democratization of deep space access.