ND-25TC Neumann Drive — Low-Power Nanosatellite Thruster
Neumann Space
Neumann Space's ND-25TC is a 14 W, 1.9 kg solid-metal-propellant pulsed cathodic arc thruster for nanosatellites: 880+ Ns total impulse, 1,800–2,000 s Isp, sharing the same propellant-free-of-gas-handling architecture as the flight-proven ND-50.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Mass
- 1.9 kg
- Power
- 14 W
- Specific impulse
- 1,800 s
- Total impulse
- 880 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
- Thruster type
- Centre-Triggered Pulsed Cathodic Arc Thruster (CT-PCAT)
- Max input power
- ~14 W
- Total wet mass
- ~1.9 kg
- Total impulse
- ≥880 Ns
- Max pulse frequency
- ~83 mHz
- Specific impulse (Isp)
- 1,800–2,000 s
- Propellant
- Solid metal rod (molybdenum standard; also Mg, Ti, V, Al, C)
- Target platform
- 3U CubeSat and nanosatellites
- Product family
- ND-25TC (this), ND-50, ND-300, ND-Flatypus
About
The ND-25TC is the lower-power nanosatellite variant in Neumann Space’s Neumann Drive product family, targeting CubeSat and small nanosatellite missions that require electric propulsion within tight mass and power budgets. At 14 W maximum input power and 1.9 kg total wet mass, the ND-25TC provides a minimum of 880 Ns total impulse at the same 1,800–2,000 s specific impulse as the larger ND-50. Like all Neumann Drive variants, the ND-25TC uses a solid metal rod as propellant — eliminated gas storage tanks, pressure vessels, valves, and flow control hardware that add mass, complexity, and failure modes to conventional xenon/krypton systems. The pulsed cathodic arc discharge mechanism fires approximately 83 mHz maximum pulse frequency, eroding metal from the rod into a high-velocity plasma stream. The propellant rod design also enables long shelf life and simple integration, with no hazardous propellant loading at the launch facility. Neumann Space is an Adelaide, Australia-based company. The ND-50, ND-300, and ND-Flatypus complete the product family for higher power and larger spacecraft applications.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.