As it happens, Applied Ion is reporting partial success with a thruster design today: https://twitter.com/Applied_Ion His cost per thruster is much closer to Zach's $100. Two thrusters of a previous design of his are scheduled to fly on the AMSAT-EA Genesis satellites, NET September. These are Open Source designs.
Thanks
Bruce
On Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 2:02 PM Zach Metzinger via AMSAT-BB < amsat-bb@amsat.org> wrote:
On 07/21/20 15:33, Dave Hartzell via AMSAT-BB wrote:
Lots of interesting stuff going on with electric propulsion.... it may
be
slow, but it's a cost effective way to raise an orbit.
https://www.enpulsion.com/technology/
Online ordering available!
I, too, would love to see electric propulsion on one of AMSAT's birds. However, it is not as simple as "buy this off the shelf":
- Power: One must also consider the 40W required at nominal thrust. This
has implications for generation (solar cell area/efficiency required), management (circuit board space & heat dissipation), and storage (battery).
Physical integration: How big is it and how much does it weigh?
Control: The algorithms to alter one's orbit in space are known, but
much planning, coding, and testing is needed to make sure money isn't wasted by doing something that causes early de-orbit.
- Testing: Where does AMSAT obtain the testing facilities necessary to
ensure proper operation, or even inclusion in the launch manifest, should the ride provider dictate it.
All of these problems are solvable with enough time, appropriate funding for all aspects of the project, and motivated, knowledgeable volunteers.
As for the basic cost of the the thruster: I'll chip in $100. We need only 489 more people, roughly, to do the same.
Who's with me?
--- Zach N0ZGO _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb