SMALL SATELLITE
The fully integrated ENPULSION NEO thruster is a highly specialized small satellite propulsion system. It is especially apt for the mobility requirements of small and medium-sized spacecraft. With no fluidic control system or external tanks, the integration of this small satellite electric propulsion system is as simple as bolting the thruster head and electronics on their respective panels and connecting the harness. The ENPULSION NEO thruster is designed to fit within a 15-inch ESPA class separation ring.
The ENPULSION small satellite propulsion system
To best meet the mobility requirements for small satellites – or “SmallSats” – the ENPULSION NEO thruster is designed for compactness, precision, reliability, and highest specific impulse, and draws on the learnings of close to 200 ENPULSION propulsion systems already in space.
Covering the mobility requirements of spacecraft of 200 to 1.000 kg, the ENPULSION NEO is designed for ease of integration. The thruster head combines emission surface, propellant, as well as propellant tanks and features no valves, fill plugs or flow controllers. It is easily bolted on the external panel of a spacecraft with minimal thermal requirements. The thruster head fits inside a number of 15-inch ESPA class separation rings.
SmallSat electric propulsion – highest ISP, precision, and robustness
With approximately two thousand ion-emission sites this small satellite propulsion system is inherently resilient to micro-damage. In addition, the electronics architecture is designed around parallel high voltage supplies to increase system robustness.
With its high specific impulse (> 2 500 s) and propellant density four times higher than xenon the NEO thruster system is both more compact and lighter than traditional electric propulsion systems.
FEEP – mature and reliable technology
Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) technology produces thrust by ions and an applied electrostatic field. By changing the field’s parameters, thrust and specific impulse can be varied as required. In a FEEP thruster, the solid metal propellant indium is liquified in orbit and a strong electrostatic field extracts, ionizes, and accelerates the propellant from the ion emitter.
Indium is the ideal alternative propellant. It is a widely available metal primarily used in semi-conductor manufacturing. It is a by-product of zinc refining and has a yearly production of around 1 000 tons shared between several countries. It is non-toxic as well as unpressurised in all phases of integration and flight.
The ENPULSION FEEP technology has no moving parts, and the propellant is in solid state during launch. In addition, it does not require pressurized tanks and no gaseous, liquid, or reactive propellants. This avoids any risks of propellant containment during launch.
ENPULSION’s electric propulsion systems do not feature any pressurized components, and no hazardous materials, which makes testing, integration and launch preparation as easy as possible.
Heritage and reliability
With close to 200 propulsion systems in space, more than 300 propulsion systems delivered to customers worldwide and more than 150 years of accumulated on-orbit operation, ENPULSION is the world’s leading manufacturer of electric propulsion systems for nano- and microsatellites.
ENPULSION is supporting more than 40 customers on 4 continents from its headquarters in Austria, as well offices in the US and France. Its products are based on the company’s proprietary Field-Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) technology, behind which are more than 30 years of research and development work in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the FOTEC Research Facility.