This video is a footage of a satsearch webinar held on the 4th of May 2022 on real examples of thrusters being tested and used on-board small satellites.
Thrusters and in-space propulsion units are often described as solutions to many of the issues that small satellites can potentially face in orbit.
But what are the actual possibilities, and limitations, of such systems?
And what does it really take to integrate and use the technologies available on the market today?
In this webinar we take a deep dive into the use cases, engineering considerations, and real-world mission scenarios from 4 thruster manufacturers currently active in the global space marketplace.
Presenters
The presenters in this webinar were all experienced manufacturers of in-space propulsion systems for satellites and are all paying members of the satsearch membership program.
The individual slide decks for the presentations are freely available on each company’s supplier hub linked to below:
Satellite thruster products
The following systems are all manufactured by the satsearch members who presented in the webinar and were each referenced in the talks, or are related to the products discussed:
A launch-safe and cost-effective electrothermal propulsion system that uses water as propellant. The Comet produces 17 mN thrust with a specific impulse of 175s. It is approved for flight on multiple launch vehicles and features a flexible interface suitable for use with a wide range of spacecraft sizes.
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A 0.040 kg (ex. FCV) mass thruster using non-toxic propellant and designed for small satellites and CubeSats. The system has a thrust range of 30 to 100 mN and specific impulse of 196 to 209 s. The system's versatility has been designed to enable new applications for satellite operators along with improving safety and efficiency during integration.
ECAPS's 1N HPGP Thruster is designed for attitude and orbit control of small-sized satellites. 46 1N HPGP thrusters have been demonstrated to date, aboard the PRISMA spacecraft and the SkySat series. The system is ECAPS' most heritage line of thrusters and is most popular with small to medium sized spacecraft, up to 750 kg.
The ECAPS's 5N HPGP Thruster is designed for attitude, trajectory and orbit control of small and medium satellites, providing higher thruster when and where it is needed. The 5N HPGP thruster is currently undergoing a test fire campaign with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, characterizing the performance of the system.
ECAPS's 22N HPGP Thruster is designed for attitude, trajectory and orbit control of larger satellites and for systems such as propulsive payload adaptor rings. The system has a mass of 1.1 kg, a thrust range of 5.5 to 22 N, and a specific impulse of 243 to 255 s. The non-toxic green propellant is designed to enhance versatility, safety, and efficiency during integration and use.
ECAPS's 50N HPGP Thruster is designed for attitude, trajectory and orbit control of larger satellites, including geostationary satellites, or launch vehicle applications. The 2.1 kg system has a specific impulse of 243 to 255 s and thrust range of 12.5 to 50 N. This thruster is currently in development and the company is looking for partners to bring the prior work into fruition.
ECAPS's 200N HPGP Thruster is designed for launch vehicle upper-stage reaction control and potential defense applications, such as missile defense. The system uses non-toxic propellant for added versatility, safety, and integration efficiency.
The Steam Thruster One is a flight-proven, water-powered, electrothermal propulsion system specifically designed for CubeSats and Small Satellites. The system features a tailored design and manufacturing approach that allows for customization, to meet a wide range of different mission requirements. The specifications are given for a representative 2U propulsion unit.
The Steam TunaCan Thruster is a water-powered, electrothermal propulsion system specifically designed for CubeSats. The tailored shape factor has been designed to allow its installation in the “tunacan” volume located outside the main CubeSat structure, available in most of the CubeSats deployers.
The Exotrail spaceware™ Nano L Thruster is a 60W-class system designed for satellite platforms ranging between 10 to 80kg. It utilizes Xenon as a propellant and has a maximum total impulse of 5.4 kNs. The thruster's tilt is adjustable for CubeSats between 6U and 20U. Its Thruster Control Unit (TCU) can be mounted separately from the thruster body.
The Exotrail spaceware™ Nano L Thruster is a 60W-class system designed for satellite platforms ranging between 10 to 80kg. It utilizes Xenon as a propellant and has a maximum total impulse of 5.4 kNs. The thruster's tilt is adjustable for CubeSats between 6U and 20U. Its Thruster Control Unit (TCU) can be mounted separately from the thruster body.
The Exotrail spaceware™ Micro XL Thruster is a 150W-class system developed for microsatellites. It offers high thrust and huge maneuver capabilities for microsatellites. The thruster utilizes Xenon as a propellant and has a maximum total impulse of 52 kNs. Its tilt is adjustable towards the center of mass to a wide extent with low thermal influence on the platform.
The Exotrail spaceware™ Micro XL Thruster is a 150W-class system developed for microsatellites. It offers high thrust and huge maneuver capabilities for microsatellites. The thruster utilizes Xenon as a propellant and has a maximum total impulse of 52 kNs. Its tilt is adjustable towards the center of mass to a wide extent with low thermal influence on the platform.
The Exotrail spaceware™ Micro Cluster² XL Thruster is developed with cluster configurations for microsatellite platforms. It utilizes Xenon as a propellant and has a maximum total impulse of 115 kNs. The cluster configurations provide flexibility to meet the high thrust and lifetime demands of missions as per the customer requirements. It also opens up the door to AOCS capabilities and allows optimal performance in all the throttling scales.
The Exotrail spaceware™ Micro Cluster² XL Thruster is developed with cluster configurations for microsatellite platforms. It utilizes Xenon as a propellant and has a maximum total impulse of 115 kNs. The cluster configurations provide flexibility to meet the high thrust and lifetime demands of missions as per the customer requirements. It also opens up the door to AOCS capabilities and allows optimal performance in all the throttling scales.
While the required power to operate the ENPULSION NANO starts at around 10 W, at higher thrust levels one can choose between high thrust and high specific impulse operation. The ENPULSION NANO can operate at at an Isp range of 2,000 to 6,000 s.
While the required power to operate the ENPULSION NANO R³ starts at around 8 W, at higher power levels one can choose between high thrust and high specific impulse operation. The ENPULSION NANO R³ can operate at an Isp range of 2,000 to 6,000 s.
The ENPULSION Nano AR³ uses differential emission throttling within the proprietary crown ion emitter to control actively the emitted ion beam and, therefore, thrust.
