BHT-1500
Busek Co.
The BHT-1500 is a 2kW-class Hall Effect thruster featuring an innovative center-mounted cathode, designed for efficient and high-performance propulsion using xenon, krypton, or iodine propellants.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Power
- 1,500 W
- Thrust
- 0.101 N
- Specific impulse
- 1,710 s
- Total impulse
- 0.007 N·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
- Nominal discharge power
- 1,500 W
- Discharge power range
- 1,000-2,700 W
- Nominal thrust
- 101 mN (Xe)
- Propellants
- Xenon, Krypton, Iodine
- Nominal specific impulse
- 1710 seconds
- Demonstrated impulse
- Pending
- Predicted total impulse
- >6.5 MN⋅s
- Orbit-raising mode thrust
- over 120 milliNewtons (mN)
- Orbit-raising mode specific impulse
- 1,700 seconds
- Orbit-raising mode power
- 1,800 Watts (W)
- Station-keeping mode thrust
- more than 100 mN
- Station-keeping mode specific impulse
- 1,900 seconds
About
Busek’s BHT-1500 is a 2kW-class Hall Effect thruster that incorporates an innovative center-mounted cathode. This propulsion system is designed for high efficiency and performance, utilizing xenon, krypton, and iodine propellants. Key design features include a two-piece “composite” anode and a shortened dielectric channel, differentiating it from other SPT designs. The internally mounted cathode offers several advantages, such as improved performance, reduced sensitivity of performance to cathode flow rate, and more efficient cathode-plume coupling. Additionally, the thruster exhibits less sensitivity to vacuum facility background pressure and reduced plume divergence. The BHT-1500 provides class-leading efficiency across a wide range of throttle points, with ample thermal and magnetic margin for high-power operation, making it a flexible solution for small to medium class satellites. Its design minimizes erosion through a virtual magnetic field wall, extending its life beyond the typical requirements of GEO satellites. The BHT-1500 thruster system operates in two distinct modes: an orbit-raising mode, which produces over 120 mN of thrust with 1,700 seconds of specific impulse at 1,800 Watts of power, and a station-keeping mode, delivering more than 100 mN thrust and 1,900 seconds of specific impulse. Independent testing at The Aerospace Corporation demonstrated that the thruster achieves 10% higher specific impulse and 15% higher thrust efficiency compared to its nearest competitive HET product, potentially leading to significant launch mass savings for medium-class GEO communications satellites or increased revenue through added mass capabilities.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.