T5 Ion Thruster
QinetiQ Space
10 cm gridded Kaufman ion thruster for small satellite electric propulsion — flight-proven on ESA's GOCE satellite with 36,000+ hours accumulated.
Typed specifications20 values
Discloses 7 of 10 fields engineers filter by in this category (category median 3).
- Propulsion family
- electric datasheet p.2
- Mass
- 65 kg Arch #1 · datasheet p.16
- Thrust
- 0.6–8 mN GOCE typical in-flight operation (~0.6 to 8.0 mN) · datasheet p.10 1–20 mN atmospheric drag compensation | 1–20 mN GOCE drag compensation range
- Envelope (L×W×H)
- 10cm diameter datasheet p.2
- Specific impulse
- 4 300 s T6 Kaufman, 1850V beam, -265V accel · datasheet p.18
- Propellant
- xenon datasheet p.2
- Supply voltage
- 100 V nom. · power bus · datasheet p.5 100 V compatible with IPCU
- Power consumption
- 700 W product page
- Data interface
- MIL-STD-1553 Crisa power supply (IPCU/PPU) · datasheet p.5
- Thruster technology
- gridded ion Kaufman type gridded ion engine · datasheet p.1
- Operating life
- 36 000 h min · GOCE prime branch operated in flight · datasheet p.11
- Power at thrust
- 700 W nominal · datasheet p.2 700 W 700W T5 ion engine (power class)
- Flight heritage
- GOCE (launched March 2009, operated until October 2013) datasheet p.2
- Satellite class
- large >500 kg datasheet p.2
- Missions flown
- 1 datasheet p.2
- Power processing unit included
- yes 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 supplier7 lines, in the manufacturer's own wording
- Grid diameter
- 10 cm
- Max thrust
- ~25 mN
- Propellant
- Xenon
- Type
- Gridded Kaufman ion thruster
- Flight heritage
- ESA GOCE (2009–2013)
- Accumulated operations
- >36,000 hours on single engine
- Power
- 700 W
About
The QinetiQ T5 Ion Thruster is a 10 cm diameter Kaufman-configuration gridded ion thruster designed for small satellite electric propulsion. It achieved an extraordinary operational record aboard ESA’s GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) satellite, accumulating over 36,000 hours of thrust operation on a single engine — validating the technology’s reliability for long-duration space missions.
The T5 is well-suited for drag compensation missions, high-drag LEO operations, and precision orbit control for scientific satellites. It uses xenon propellant and operates in a steady-state gridded configuration. The thruster is complemented by the larger T6 and T7 variants in QinetiQ’s ion propulsion product family, providing a scalable electric propulsion solution from small satellite to interplanetary mission classes.
Documentation
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