Ion Satellite Engines Derived From Those Which Powered The
Hayabusa Mission
An agreement signed Monday between Aerojet and NEC Corporation
allows the companies to jointly supply Hayabusa-derived ion
propulsion systems for the U.S. and Japanese aerospace markets.
These ion propulsion systems provide significant advantages for
geosynchronous satellites and deep space missions through fuel
efficiencies over 10 times higher than those of conventional
propulsion systems.
The Hayabusa spacecraft successfully returned a sample
collection capsule which might contain a first-ever sample of an
asteroid to earth on June 13 after a seven year journey. The ion
propulsion system first powered the spacecraft on its 186 million
mile journey to the surface of the asteroid Itokawa. Then, after a
near catastrophic failure of the chemical propulsion and attitude
control systems, with ingenuity and persistence, Japanese engineers
used the ion propulsion system to recover the mission and return
the sample. The Hayabusa ion propulsion system was developed
jointly by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NEC.
The system uses microwaves to ionize the propellant and carbon
fiber grids to accelerate it, enabling long life and high mission
reliability.
Hayabusa File Image
"We congratulate NEC and JAXA on the successful and historic
return of the capsule of Hayabusa," said Julie Van Kleeck,
Aerojet's vice president of Space and Launch Systems. "We are very
excited by the opportunity to work with NEC to provide this system
to a broader market." Aerojet's electric propulsion products are
currently flying on more than 150 operational satellites.
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