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.
Typed specifications5 values
Discloses 3 of 10 fields engineers filter by in this category (category median 3).
- Thrust
- 1–10 mN product page
- Specific impulse
- 700–1 500 s product page
- Propellant
- xenon product page krypton
- Power consumption
- 20–200 W product page
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As published by the supplier7 lines, in the manufacturer's own wording
- 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.