SPT-100 is a Hall-effect ion thruster, part of the SPT-family of thrusters. SPT stands for Stationary Plasma Thruster. It creates a stream of electrically charged xenon ions accelerated by an electric field and confined by a magnetic field.[1]
The thruster is manufactured by Russian OKB Fakel, and was first launched onboard the Gals-1 satellite in 1994.[2] In 2003, Fakel debuted a second generation of the thruster, called SPT-100B, and in 2011, it presented further upgrades in SPT-100M prototypes.[3] As of 2011, SPT-100 thrusters were used in 18 Russian and 14 foreign spacecraft, including IPSTAR-II, Telstar-8, and Ekspress A and AM constellations.[3]
Parameter | SPT-100 | SPT-100B | SPT-100M | SPT-100D |
---|---|---|---|---|
Power (W) | 1350 | 1350 | 1350 | 2500 |
Thrust (mN) | 80 | 83 | 90.2 | 112 |
Thrust-to-power level (mN/kW) | 59.26 | 61.48 | 66.81 | 44.80 |
Specific impulse (s) | 1,600 | 1,600 | 1,734 | 2,200 |
Efficiency (%) | 50 | |||
Voltage (V) | 300 | 300 | 600 | |
Discharge current (A) | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.17 | |
Mass (kg) | 4 | 4.7 | ||
Reference: [4]: 14 [3]: 4 [5]: 6 |
In the early 80s, EDB Fakel started its serial production of the thruster types SPT-50, SPT-60, and SPT-70. The first satellite equipped with SPT-70, Geizer 1, was launched in 1982; and in 1994, a new SPT-100 model was implemented aboard the communication satellite, Gals-1