Maxwell RF Ion Thruster
Phase Four
Phase Four's Maxwell thruster — an RF-powered ion propulsion system for smallsats and CubeSats using inert xenon or krypton propellant, with no hollow cathode neutralizer.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Power
- 20 W
- Thrust
- 0.001 N
- Specific impulse
- 700 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
- Propellant
- Xenon or Krypton (inert gas)
- Thrust Range
- 1–10 mN
- Specific Impulse
- 700–1,500 s
- Power Range
- 20–200 W
- Key Innovation
- RF-powered plasma — no hollow cathode neutralizer (major life-limiter removed)
- Applications
- Constellation maintenance, deorbit, orbit raising
- Founded
- 2015, El Segundo, California, USA
About
Maxwell is Phase Four’s compact ion thruster system for small satellites and CubeSats, designed to eliminate the technical complexity and lifetime limitations of traditional ion engines. Conventional gridded ion thrusters and Hall thrusters use hollow cathode neutralizers to neutralize the ion beam — these components are often the life-limiting element. Maxwell uses an RF antenna to create a plasma and a retarding grid to extract ions, eliminating the hollow cathode entirely.
Maxwell operates on xenon or krypton propellant (krypton is significantly cheaper and provides similar performance) at power levels from 20–200 W, producing 1–10 mN of thrust at specific impulse of 700–1,500 s. The compact geometry makes it suitable for 12U+ CubeSats and ESPA-class spacecraft. Key applications include constellation maintenance (maintaining altitude and plane against drag), de-orbit compliance at end of life, and orbit raising from rideshare drops.
Phase Four was founded in 2015 by Umair Siddiqui and Simon Halpern and is headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has flown Maxwell on commercial satellite missions and has contracts with Space Force for advanced propulsion development. Investors include Lockheed Martin Ventures.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.