XIPS-25

Hughes electric/xenon rocket engine. 4.2 kW, 25 cm diameter xenon engine system for orbital circularization, station-keeping, attitude control, and momentum dumping for HS 702 spacecraft.

The Hughes Space and Communications Company developed this 25 cm diameter xenon engine system for orbital circularization, station-keeping, attitude control, and momentum dumping for its HS 702 spacecraft. The ion thrusters provided stationkeeping at a cost of only 5 kg per year. Additionally, the IPS was capable of boosting the communication satellite's initial elliptical orbit 14,500 km perigee to a circular geosynchronous orbit. Savings compared to making the same orbital adjustment using a conventional chemical propellant system could be as much as 450 kg. It was is planned that the HS 702 spacecraft use four XIPS-25 engines and two PPUs. Only two of the four thrusters were required to perform the station keeping and momentum control functions. The spacecraft had an end-of-life solar array power capability of about 15 kW. Each thruster had an input power of 4.2 kW and provided 165 mN thrust at 3800 s specific impulse.

Electrical Input Power: 4.20 kW.