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Aerojet Qualifies High Power Electric Propulsion System
Sacramento CA (SPX) Feb 01, 2006 Aerojet, a GenCorp company, has announced the successful qualification test of its 4.5 kW Hall Thruster electric propulsion system - the highest power flight- qualified Hall propulsion system in the world - for use on large, high-power communications satellites. The electric propulsion system, a popular choice for improving spacecraft efficiency in orbit, is now certified for flight for a variety of commercial and government programs. Aerojet is under contract to Lockheed Martin to provide the first two shipsets of the new thruster system for the next generation Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system, an Air Force program. Aerojet qualified the Hall System during a 5,600 hour life test at its Redmond, Wash. Electric propulsion test facility. The Hall Thruster is an electric propulsion system that provides operational lifetime somewhat similar to a light bulb - measured in thousands of hours - while conventional chemical thruster performance is measured in minutes. By demonstrating such significant gains in performance and operational life, Aerojet will ensure dramatic cost savings for spacecraft. Those savings could exceed 2,000 lbs. of fuel - greatly improving launch vehicle flexibility and spacecraft on-orbit capability. "The successful qualification of the Aerojet Hall Thruster means the highest powered, most efficient Hall propulsion system is now available in the United States and is ready for flight," said Robert Peha, vice president and general manager of Aerojet Redmond Operations. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Aerojet GenCorp Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
NASA Tests New Breed Of Propulsion Engine And System In Support Of VSE
Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 01, 2006NASA engineers have successfully tested a new breed of reaction control engine and propulsion system. Aimed at furthering NASA's space exploration goals, the tests helped investigate the possibility of future space travel fueled by non-toxic propellants. |
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