DESIGNED, MANUFACTURED, & TESTED FOR MAXIMUM RELIABILITY
The Astra Spacecraft Engine™️ (ASE) & Astra Spacecraft Engine Max (ASE Max) can be configured with multiple thrusters and PPUs to handle a wide range of missions, from the smallest earth observation satellites up to large communications satellites with multiple kilowatts of solar power.
Each system is delivered fully integrated and tested to reduce spacecraft development complexity, while improving on orbit reliability.
Example configurations shown
ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS
ASE
Xenon and Krypton electric propulsion system with a magnetically shielded thruster and best-in-class performance for spacecraft with less than 1 kW of power.
PROPELLANT
Xenon OR Krypton
INPUT POWER
400 W
THRUST
~25 mN (Xe)
~18 mN (Kr)
SPECIFIC IMPULSE
~1,400 s (Xe)
~1,300 s (Kr)
TOTAL IMPULSE
300 kN-s (Xe)
300 kN-s (Kr)
PROPELLANTS
INPUT POWER
THRUST
SPECIFIC IMPULSE
TOTAL IMPULSE
ASE MAX
Xenon and Krypton electric propulsion system with a magnetically shielded thruster and 1.5 MN-s total impulse for spacecraft with more than 1 kW power.
PROPELLANT
Xenon OR Krypton
INPUT POWER
1,450 W
THRUST
~60 mN (Xe)
~54 mN (Kr)
SPECIFIC IMPULSE
~1,760 s (Xe)
~1,800 s (Kr)
TOTAL IMPULSE
1.5 MN-s
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
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COMPACT THRUSTER
Instant-start, heaterless, center-mounted cathode and permanent magnet design deliver high thrust and high Isp in a compact design which has been ground tested to 12,000 operational cycles.
RADIATION HARDENED POWER PROCESSING UNIT
The Power Processing Unit (PPU) is radiation hardened by design, replacing many microprocessors with simple and reliable components – creating a single circuit board design that is 95% efficient.
Increased radiation hardening extends system lifetimes and supports a broad range of LEO and GEO missions.
FEED SYSTEM WITH HERITAGE
Compact, bang-bang feed system with flight-proven components.
Each system is leak and vibration tested in an integrated system test to ensure on orbit reliability.
FLIGHT-PROVEN PROPELLANT TANK
Flight-proven, off-the-shelf propellant tanks meet a broad range of mission requirements without the high cost or long lead times of custom tanks.
Tanks are sized specifically to fit the unique requirements of each customer mission with flight-proven COPV construction rated to 4,000 psi.
MEETING MISSION DEMANDS WITH MULTI-THRUSTER CONFIGURATIONS
Need to go faster? Need to go farther? Need to do both? Multi-thruster configurations allow you to build a system that meets your unique mission requirements. Select the number of thrusters that meets your delta-v requirement and choose a tank that meets your total impulse needs to build the best configuration for your constellation.
 2-STRING |
 3-STRING |
 4-STRING |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| INPUT POWER | 800 W | 1,200 W | 1,600 W |
| THRUST | ~50 mN = 25 mN x 2 (Xe) ~36 mN = 18 mN x 2 (Kr) |
~75 mN = 25 mN x 3 (Xe) ~54 mN = 18 mN x 3 (Kr) |
~100 mN = 25 mN x 4 (Xe) ~72 mN = 18 mN x 4 (Kr) |
| TOTAL IMPULSE | 600 kN-s (Xe) 600 kN-s (Kr) |
900 kN-s (Xe) 900 kN-s (Kr) |
1,200 kN-s (Xe) 1,200 kN-s (Kr) |
RENDERING BY SPACEFLIGHT, INC.