B20 Thruster
Dawn Aerospace
A 20 N-class green bipropellant thruster from Dawn Aerospace using non-toxic nitrous oxide and propene propellants, designed for reliable, repeatable spacecraft propulsion from ground testing through on-orbit operations.
Typed specifications30 values
Discloses 7 of 10 fields engineers filter by in this category (category median 3).
- Propulsion family
- chemical datasheet p.1
- Mass
- 695 g Dry mass · datasheet p.3
- Thrust
- 6 460 mN min · datasheet p.3 18 110 mN max
- Envelope (L×W×H)
- 190 × 87 × 82 mm incl. keep-out zones · datasheet p.2
- Specific impulse
- 271 s min · datasheet p.2 240–285 s
- Propellant
- nitrous oxide (N2O) datasheet p.1 other Propylene (C3H6) | other Nitrous oxide (N2O) and Propylene (C3H6)
- Power consumption
- 4.56 W igniter max · datasheet p.4 14.67 W valve hit, 25 ms, per valve | 0.76 W valve hold, per valve | 4.56 W max · igniter, 120 ms
- Operating temperature
- -5–30 °C datasheet p.2
- Thruster technology
- bipropellant bi-prop, also cold-gas mode · datasheet p.2
- Number of starts or pulses
- 10 000 min · restarts per thruster (10,000+) · datasheet p.2
- Min impulse bit
- 980 mN·s bi-prop · datasheet p.2 10 mN·s cold-gas
- Power at thrust
- 14.67 W valve hit, per valve · datasheet p.4
- Survival temperature
- -30–40 °C datasheet p.2
- Flight heritage
- 96 in space since 2021, proven on 16 different spacecraft, used for orbit raising datasheet p.1
- Satellite class
- CubeSat datasheet p.1
- Missions flown
- 16 different spacecraft · datasheet p.1 96 units in space since 2021
- Power processing unit included
- yes datasheet p.1
- Dry mass
- 695 g datasheet p.2
- Ignition or start
- spark or glow plug spark-based igniter · datasheet p.2
- Restartable
- yes datasheet p.2
- Pulse repetition rate
- 4 Hz pulse frequency · datasheet p.2
Each value is typed with its unit and measurement condition and cites the datasheet page it was taken from. Nothing is guessed: a field that is absent here has not been published by the manufacturer. machine-extracted ✓ checked by NewSpace Market ✓ manufacturer confirmed by the manufacturer.
As published by the supplier9 lines, in the manufacturer's own wording
- Thrust range
- 6.46-18.11 N
- Specific impulse (vacuum)
- 240-285+ s
- Propellant
- Nitrous oxide oxidizer / propene fuel, self-pressurizing non-toxic bipropellant
- Restarts
- 10,000+ per thruster, unlimited cold starts
- Ignition type
- Spark-based, cold-start to full thrust in under 100 ms
- Dry mass
- 695 g
- Construction
- Additively manufactured (3D printed) Inconel 718
- Firing modes
- Bipropellant and cold-gas, switchable
- Flight heritage
- 160+ Dawn B-series thrusters launched to orbit on 55+ satellites via SpaceX Transporter, Starlink rideshare, Rocket Lab Electron, and Arianespace Vega; customers include Pixxel, Sidus Space, Blue Canyon Technologies, AstroForge, CNES, and ESA
About
The B20 is Dawn Aerospace’s 20 Newton-class green chemical thruster, built as a core building block of the company’s modular satellite propulsion line alongside the B1, B5, and B200 thrusters. It integrates the thruster body, four normally-closed solenoid valves, and control electronics into a single additively manufactured Inconel 718 structure. The B20 uses a self-pressurizing bipropellant combination of nitrous oxide oxidizer and propene fuel, offering a non-toxic alternative to traditional hydrazine propulsion, which simplifies ground handling, storage, and launch integration. It supports both bipropellant and cold-gas firing modes, spark-based ignition with cold-start to full thrust in under 100 milliseconds, and is rated for 10,000+ restarts per thruster with unlimited cold-start capability, making it suitable for rendezvous, proximity operations, fine pointing, orbit-raising, deorbiting, and station-keeping. The thruster targets small to large satellites requiring substantial orbital maneuvers. Over 160 Dawn B-series thrusters have been launched to orbit aboard 55+ satellites across four launch vehicle families, with more than 30 customers globally including Pixxel, Sidus Space, Blue Canyon Technologies, Infinite Orbits, AstroForge, CNES, and ESA.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.