Benchmark
Electric Propulsion Thrusters On Orbit And
Poised For First Fire
Benchmark Space Systems, the leading developer
and provider of in-space mobility solutions,
today announced its next-gen Xantus™ electric
propulsion system has successfully deployed and
will undergo subsystem health check and
operational verification, including a range of
firing modes aboard mission prime Orion Space
Solutions’ 12U cubesat in low Earth orbit.
Benchmark’s first electric propulsion system in
space, launched aboard the SpaceX Transporter-10
rideshare mission, is tasked with end-to-end
mission operations for Orion Space Solutions’
satellite as it supports the demonstration of
cloud and weather data mapping for potential
future military operations. Once the mission
objectives are met, the Xantus metal plasma
thrusters will be used to deorbit the
spacecraft, a critical capability for regulatory
compliance and the sustainability of LEO
infrastructure.
Based on
the early mission milestone, Benchmark is
greenlighting shipments of dozens of Xantus MPTs
to meet the pent-up demand for proven electric
and hybrid propulsion systems among commercial
and government operations. Of the 50-plus Xantus
EP thrusters being shipped this year, Orion has
baselined units in upcoming missions, and at
least ten will go to UK-based In-Space Missions,
a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems plc,
among several small satellite builders and
operators that are integrating Xantus MPTs into
electric and hybrid propulsion configurations
for upcoming missions.
Multiple
satellite and mission operators that need to go
fast, station keep, and make precision maneuvers
in space, are evaluating Benchmark’s hybrid duo
of Xantus EP thrusters and Halcyon non-toxic
chemical propulsion systems, which unlock
expanded dynamic operations for 12U to ~200kg
spacecraft that are often limited by a single
technology, compromising mission capability and
value.
The
production Xantus metal plasma thrusters are
baselined to run on the metal molybdenum, which
offers the best combination of properties and
efficient thrust generation among a variety of
metal propellants tested in trials (also copper,
stainless steel, aluminum, and magnesium). The
MPTs are designed to ultimately run on metals
that can be harvested in space, including spent
space vehicle materials and orbital debris.
“The
Benchmark team is thrilled that our Xantus
electric propulsion system and metal plasma
thrusters are supporting this important mission
for Orion Space and the US Government,” said
Chris Carella, Chief Commercial Officer for
Benchmark Space Systems. “Our government and
commercial mission partners around the world
have closely followed this historic first, as
our Xantus metal plasma thrusters demonstrate
their capabilities in space. Our partners have
been preparing for space with our software and
engineering development units (SDUs/EDUs), and
they’re excited to soon be receiving shipments
of flight units to close on their own missions
in the months ahead.”
Early
operations and telemetry will be used to
validate the Xantus EP system’s thrust across
several power levels and other key capabilities,
which boost mission readiness and assurance
levels realized during third-party testing at
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio and at
Benchmark’s Research and Development facility in
Pleasanton, California.
“Our Xantus MPTs are designed to provide optimal
station keeping for most cubesats, microsats in
the range of 5 to 250 kilograms, and precision
operations for ESPA-class satellites from 250 to
1000 kilograms. That’s a wide sweet spot, and we
look forward to enabling dozens of upcoming
missions to fly using what promises to be an
extremely valuable electric propulsion tool in
LEO, MEO, and GEO,” explained Kent Frankovich,
Benchmark’s Vice President of Electric
Propulsion, who is leading the company’s metal
plasma thruster development.
The
milestone debut of Benchmark’s electric
propulsion system in space comes less than
eighteen months after the company acquired the
metal plasma thruster technology from Alameda
Applied Sciences Corporation and follows a
previous mission launch in January 2023 that did
not deploy.
The
Xantus electric propulsion system, with its
innovative MPTs, is one key element of
Benchmark’s full in-space mobility strategy and
market-leading lineup of propulsion systems and
solutions. The company offers electric, green
chemical, and hybrid platforms designed to
provide speed, endurance, precision maneuvering,
and deorbit capabilities to meet the
fast-growing demand for dynamic and sustainable
space operations across multiple orbits and
mission profiles.
|