With only a 10-microsecond pulse from this powerful thruster, the FPPT system provides very high specific impulse of greater than 3,500 s. The PTFE (Teflon®) Fiber is spooled in the back of the package and fed into the center of the system. The high specific impulse and total impulse are competitive with Hall and ion-thruster technologies at much lower cost and without the need for a pressurized propellant tank or valving that can leak propellant. The system also includes electromagnetic thrust vectoring (steering) of approximately ±5 degrees in the pitch and yaw axes.
The FPPT, through its electromagnetic short-pulse discharge, provides a dramatic increase in total impulse to greater than 25,000 N-s in a 1.7-liter sized package. FPPT has now evolved into various form factors ranging from 0.7-liter to 53-liter sizes to provide a broad range of total impulses from 1,000 – 600,000 N-s, respectively. FPPT technology is a compelling option to meet many micropropulsion needs, including extended orbital maneuvers (orbit raising and lowering), inclination change, collision avoidance maneuvers, drag makeup, deorbiting, and even deep space capability.
The newest ESPA-class FPPT can also serve as the propulsion system for active debris removal (ADR) satellites.
PTFE (Teflon®) Fiber (range safety not required)
Available as 1.7U dual fault tolerant unit with less than 9-month lead time
CUA offers a ‘Quick-Turn’ Pulsed Plasma Thruster (QT-PPT) system at lower cost and shorter lead time. ESPA Class FPPT suitable for ADR would require longer lead time and additional cost.
Advantages Include:
Simplicity and safety with solid inert PTFE (Teflon®) propellant
Low-cost propulsion option
Propellant is spooled inside package and easily expanded as needed
No pressure vessel required for propellant
Compact package size as small as 1U
Well-suited for 6U or larger CubeSats