Apollo Constellation Engine (ACE) Ion Thruster
Apollo Fusion (Astra)
Apollo Fusion's ACE — a 200 W Hall-effect ion thruster for small satellites, providing cost-effective electric propulsion for constellation station-keeping and orbit transfers.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Power
- 200 W
- Thrust
- 0.012 N
- Specific impulse
- 1,600 s
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Type
- Hall-effect ion thruster
- Power
- 200 W
- Thrust
- ~12 mN
- Specific Impulse
- ~1,600 s
- Propellant
- Xenon
- Founded
- 2016, San Jose, California; acquired by Astra 2021
- Applications
- LEO constellation maintenance, orbit raising, deorbit
About
The Apollo Constellation Engine (ACE) is Apollo Fusion’s flagship Hall-effect ion thruster designed for the small satellite and LEO constellation market. Operating at 200 W of electrical power, the ACE produces approximately 12 mN of thrust at 1,600 s specific impulse using xenon propellant — providing the delta-V needed for constellation altitude management, orbit raising, and end-of-life deorbit over a satellite’s operational lifetime.
Apollo Fusion was founded in 2016 in San Jose, California, by former Google X and DARPA engineers. The company was acquired by Astra Space in November 2021 for approximately $145 million in Astra stock, becoming Astra’s propulsion division after Astra’s orbital launch vehicle program concluded. The ACE thruster and related electric propulsion products continued development under Astra’s banner with production at the San Jose facility.
The ACE competes in the 100–300 W power range with Busek BHT-200, Fakel SPT-50, and other flight-heritage Hall thrusters. Its all-metal design and proven flight heritage make it a candidate for LEO constellation satellites requiring multi-year operational life with several km/s of delta-V. Key target applications are maintaining orbital slots in constellation planes against differential drag perturbations.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.