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HALO THRUSTERS
Halo
Flight-Proven Small Propulsion
ExoTerra’s Halo Hall-Effect Thruster revolutionizes CubeSat missions by allowing them to reach optimal orbits, maintain them for long durations, and deorbit on command. It meets the mass, volume, and thermal constraints of CubeSats and other rideshare spacecraft, enabling better science, extended lifetimes, and low-cost lunar and interplanetary missions. Halo operates at power levels between 100 and 450 W, making it suitable for satellites from 6U CubeSats to ESPA class.
Halo offers superior total impulse performance compared to other propulsion options, enabling a broader range of missions and longer satellite lifetimes. With a thrust range of 4-30 mN and a specific impulse of 700-1500 s, Halo provides high thrust and efficiency in a compact space, weighing only 0.83 kg. It has been successfully tested with xenon and krypton, offering flexibility in propellant choice to manage mission costs.
As of July 1, 2023, four Halo-based integrated propulsion systems are operating in orbit.
Xe
Mass: 0.83 kg
Volume: 0.375 U
Input Power: 100 – 450 W
Total ISP: 700 – 1500 s
Thrust Range: 4 – 30 mN
Impulse: ≥ 375 kN-s
Propellant: Xenon
Kr
Mass: 0.83 kg
Volume: 0.375 U
Discharge Power: 100 – 300 W
Total ISP: 600 – 1000 s
Thrust Range: 4 – 16 mN
Impulse: ≥ 175 kN-s
Propellant: Krypton
Download the Halo - Xenon Spec Sheet
Download the Halo - Krypton Spec Sheet
Halo 12
ExoTerra's Halo 12 Hall-effect thruster-based EP subsystem enables small satellites to perform high-ΔV missions, using the JPL-developed and ExoTerra-commercialized Halo 12 thruster. It offers a total impulse capability of up to 7 MN-s on xenon and up to 4 MN-s on krypton, suitable for interplanetary, deep space, lunar activities, and long-life LEO & GEO missions. The TRL-5 subsystem is undergoing flight qualification to reach TRL-7 with expected heritage by Q3-4 2023.
The Halo 12 EP subsystem provides superior performance compared to existing small satellite propulsion technologies, offering up to 110 mN of thrust and 2200 s specific impulse on xenon, and up to 85 mN of thrust and 1850 s specific impulse on krypton, with over 50% total efficiency. It is compact, lightweight, fully throttleable, and capable of >100 kRad TID. The subsystem supports near-Earth and interplanetary missions with on-orbit update capability and options for single or multiple simultaneous string operations.
Xe
Propellant: Xenon
Input Power: 250 – 1650 W Total ISP: 900 – 2200 s Thrust Range: 10 – 110 mN Total Impulse: 7 MN-s
TRL: 5
Kr
Propellant: Krypton
Input Power: 375 – 1650 W Total ISP: 1050 – 1850 s Thrust Range: 16 – 85 mN Total Impulse: 4 MN-s
TRL: 5
Download the Halo 12 - Xenon Spec Sheet
Download the Halo 12 - Krypton Spec Sheet
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