MT Magazine September/October 2024

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024

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Thruster system in test in a vacuum chamber. Being able to operate in space – reliably – is crucial. (Image courtesy of Orbion Space Technology.)

One tank of fuel can provide thrust capacity for seven years or more. Fuel tank size has a big effect on the assembled thruster system. “A customer will give us a keep-in space,” Panella says, explaining that this is the amount of room Orbion has to fit its system within the satellite structure. While other elements are, in effect, “standardized,” the change in fuel tank size can either mean a bigger satellite or a decreased amount of time in space. And when the satellite’s time in space reaches its end, the thruster can be used for a controlled descent back into the Earth’s atmosphere, rather than one of those random reentries. There is another option Orbion offers for its Aurora thruster: El Matador, a high-thrust cold-gas nozzle that’s located along the center axis of the thruster head. If another object in space is on track to collide with an Orbion satellite equipped with El Matador, it provides a blast of propellant resulting in up to two Newtons of thrust for evasive maneuvers. Yes, it uses up fuel to achieve that. But when the choice is between a shortened mission and a catastrophically finished one … Which leads to why things like Orbion thrusters are becoming increasingly important.

At present there are some 9,990 active satellites in orbit. According to a study recently released by Euroconsult, an average of over 2,800 satellites will be launched annually between 2023 and 2032, which means it is going to get increasingly crowded up there. What’s more – much, much more – according to the Combined Space Operations Center at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, which runs the Space Surveillance Network, an estimated 8,000 metric tons of space debris is in orbit, and “even a tiny piece could be catastrophic to any of our orbiting assets.” Which means that thrusters are necessary to maneuver satellites to minimize the possibility of being knocked out by random debris. Sourcing and Testing The thruster and the propellant management assembly are produced with parts shipped from suppliers to Orbion. Given that there are some 60 parts in a given thruster head and that there are various materials that need to be machined – from stainless steels to titanium – and because of that aforementioned need for parts to perform as defined once they’re in orbit, the