Anna Forrester
Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed initial on-orbit validation tests of its upgraded XR-5 Hall Thruster using Boeing‘s X-37 unmanned space plane as part of the U.S. Air Force‘s Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4.
The five-kilowatt XR-5A Hall Thruster includes performance and operating range modifications based on the results of XR-5’s initial low-rate production and flight programs, Aerojet Rocketdyne said July 1.
“Satellite customers are very risk adverse, as many GEO comsats have operational lives exceeding 15 years,” said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO Eileen Drake.
She noted that the company delivers the second-generation Hall Thruster that works to meet the needs of satellite customers.
