Miniaturized electric propulsion with breakthrough performance for smallsats.
ThrustMe’s NPT30-I2 is a fully integrated propulsion system based on the gridded ion thruster technology. It comes in 1U size. It has a modular design, and includes the ion thruster, the PPU, the propellant storage, feed system as well as passive thermal management and intelligent operation control. The I2 version uses solid iodine propellant, is delivered pre-filled and remains non-pressurized during launch. Use of iodine also avoids sloshing and provides extreme geometrical design flexibility to accommodate platform requirements.
NPT30 Advantages
Intelligent and throttleable
Self-regulating: The NPT30 has multiple, automatic, imbedded regulation and control systems. It continuously optimizes performance with respect to the instantaneous satellite situation, which could include, for example, reduced power availability, overheating of the support structure, or for the need of a sudden and urgent maneuvers (urgent request for collision avoidance).
Safe: Imbedded fail-safe algorithms ensure that the system automatically shuts down if an anomaly is detected - It is designed to protect itself, and the satellite.
Modular: The NPT30’s modular design allows for easy upgrades of subsystems without impacting the satellite integration. It is compatible with various propellants, such as xenon and iodine, and has different modes of ion acceleration (DC or AC).
Tailored operation: In order to be as efficient as possible, the NPT30 can accommodate multiple operating modes to tailor the thrust, power consumption and total impulse to your mission needs.. These conditions are programmed for the optimization of the desired maneuvers you want to perform. Additional custom modes are available on request.
Unprecedented Performance
The right balance: As a system in the electric propulsion family, the NPT30’s gridded ion thruster provides a relative high thrust – high specific impulse system.
High delta-v capability: The NPT30-I2 has a very high total impulse packed into the smallest volume ever achieved. In 1U the NPT30-I2 can deliver up to 5500 Ns of total impulse!
Thermally optimized: High power density systems, such as the NPT30 series, need a well-adapted passive thermal management solution to ensure that excess power/heat is not offloaded to the satellite frame or to neighbouring payloads. The NPT30 is thermally passive and will only load <19W of power to the satellite structure (can be less depending on the integration configuration).
Constellation Friendly
Batch production: With the support from the European Commission, ThrustMe is setting up a production line for the NPT30 to be able to meet the constellation market’s demand for batch deliveries.
ITAR-free: Like all ThrustMe products, the NPT30 was designed without any ITAR components, thus facilitating purchasing, export and import procedures.
Propellant flexibility
NPT30 can operate with solid iodine propellant or pressurized xenon. For most missions iodine is the ideal propellant (non-pressurized and passive during launch, comes prefilled, provides extreme flexibility in the tailoring of the system and has a very high propellant density).
