Electric propulsion for small satellites orbit control and deorbiting: The example of a hall effect thruster

Abstract

Electric propulsion technologies for small satellites enable their operators to develop new high delta-V missions thanks to their high specific impulse. Exotrail has developed software tools to assess the impact of low-thrust propulsion maneuvers on small satellites operation. Using these tools, two missions are analyzed in this article: very low Earth orbit station keeping, and post-launch secondary injection involving altitude change and inclination correction followed by deorbitation. Finally, the impact of the high thrust-to-power ratio provided by the Hall-effect thrusters developed by Exotrail is analyzed. This analysis is done from a customer point of view by quantifying the fuel mass and mission duration differences compared with other technologies.