Home > Knowledge Base Authors: Tony Schonherr, Bryan Little, David Krejci , Alexander Reissner, Bernahrd Seifert Published On: September 15-20, 2019 Event: 36th International Electric Propulsion Conference University of Vienna, Austria, IEPC-2019-362 Download PDF Abstract With the rising market in small satellite constellations and emerging New Space companies, the demand in propulsion systems for Cubesats and small satellites grew rapidly in recent years. Due to its compact design, its versatile operation, and its plug-and-play character, the IFM Nano Thruster was and is an electric propulsion system advantageously suitable for the needs of a wide variety of space mission applications. The thruster is an indium-consuming eld-emission electric propulsion (FEEP) system that is the result of more than 20 years of research on liquid metal ion sources (LMIS), and ts into less than 1U generating 350 µN of nominal thrust at very high speci c impulse. With a high demand in number of thrusters, the production rate and testing capability alike had to be set up accordingly. This paper summarizes the transition of the thruster technology towards a product, and the unprecedented challenges associated to mass production of electric propulsion systems. Further, with almost 100 thrusters delivered, a statistical analysis of the production data is presented to demonstrate the resulting quality. DOWNLOAD PDF Thank you for your interest in ENPULSION’s products and services! As a global market leader in electric propulsion for nano- and microsatellites, we offer you a broad range of fully integrated electric propulsion systems, as well as simulator and emulator products, and support and services to guide you from first conceptual steps to spacecraft design, integration, launch-preparation, as well as commissioning and operations, all the way to end-of life de-orbiting of your spacecraft – our expert teams are always at your side. Exclusive ENPULSION data-room If you are interested to gain access to the next layer of technical information and in-depth knowledge of our products and technology, please contact us. In the ENPULSION data-room you can find product-specific user manuals, in-depth technical guides and applicable documents, containing valuable information on handling and shipping requirements, as well as everything you need to know to get the best performance and utility out of your ENPULSION products. Alexander ReissnerBryan LittleDavid KrejciTony Schonherr
