Twin Ion Engine Demonstration for Small Spacecraft Applications

Two iodine-fueled, second-generation (Gen-2) “BIT-3” gridded RF ion propulsion systems were successfully demonstrated in proximity. The test units feature a host of upgrades from the flight models delivered to Lunar IceCube and LunaH-Map 6U Cube missions onboard NASA’s SLS Artemis 1. Each Gen-2 BIT-3 system is capable of 1.1 mN thrust, 2,150 sec specific impulse and 31.7 kN-sec total impulse, at 75W maximum power input. The twin engines, separated by a mere 6.5 cm, successfully performed simultaneous startup, sequential startup, and throttling, all without noticeable plasma interference. Onboard telemetry confirms that both thruster and cathode pairs operated nominally, and both ion plumes were stable and properly neutralized by the cathodes in all scenarios. This result should give confidence to microsatellite developers who are looking to fulfill propulsion requirements by multiplexing the BIT-3 - a compact, high-TRL, cost-effective, and readily available propulsion module.