XR-5 Hall Thruster System
Aerojet Rocketdyne (L3Harris)
Flight-proven Hall effect thruster subsystem used on AEHF, Northrop Grumman GEOStar-3 and Mission Extension Vehicles, and Lockheed Martin LM2100 satellites.
Technical specifications
- Type
- Hall effect thruster subsystem
- Status
- Flight proven, in service
- Platforms
- AEHF constellation, Northrop Grumman GEOStar-3 and Mission Extension Vehicles, Lockheed Martin LM2100
About
The flight proven XR-5 Hall thruster subsystem is currently employed on both commercial and government satellites, including the U.S. Space Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) constellation; Northrop Grumman’s GEOStar-3 GEO commercial satellites and Mission Extension Vehicles; and Lockheed Martin’s LM2100 commercial satellites.
Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) is commonly used to transfer satellites to their proper orbital locations and keep them on station once there. Energized by the electric power from on-board solar arrays, SEP systems use significantly less propellant than comparable, conventional chemical propulsion systems. Benefits include lower launch mass from carrying less propellant, additional payload capacity, and extended satellite maneuvering and mission lifetimes with the same quantity of propellant.
L3Harris is the world leader in the development, qualification and flight of electric propulsion systems that enable civil, defense and commercial missions for various customers, having delivered more than 600 electric propulsion thrusters that have flown on over 250 satellites to date.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.