Scientists from the Moscow Aviation Institute and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have developed Russia’s first low-energy plasma propulsion system, specifically designed to work with krypton gas.
The Moscow Aviation Institute announced in a statement that this system is intended for small satellites operating in low Earth orbit.
The engine operates based on the Hall effect, using an electric field to accelerate gas ions and generate thrust. Xenon gas is commonly used for this purpose due to its ease of ionization, but it is expensive. Krypton, on the other hand, is about 5 to 10 times cheaper and is also available in much larger quantities.
However, the main obstacle was the difficulty of converting krypton to plasma compared to xenon. Nevertheless, the developers managed to overcome this problem. The engine was designed to operate for seven years, with continuous operation of up to 7,500 hours, and could withstand frequent start-up and stop-up cycles.
According to the project's head , Alexandre Bugatti, the system was designed with mass production in mind, aiming to make multi-satellite constellations more cost-effective. Similar engines are already in use on Starlink satellites.
Specialists are currently working on manufacturing the prototype and conducting tests on its components, in addition to developing electrical power supply, control, fuel storage and engine supply systems.
