Orbion is a four-year-old startup in Houghton, Michigan, that specializes in Hall-effect plasma thrusters for small satellites. WASHINGTON — Small satellite manufacturer Blue Canyon Technologies announced Sept. 15 it selected Orbion Space Technology to supply the electric propulsion system for the U.S. military’s Blackjack constellation. Blue Canyon is producing four satellites for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Blackjack program. DARPA plans to launch as many as 20 small satellites to demonstrate that a mesh network in low Earth orbit can meet military requirements at lower cost and shorter design cycles than traditional Pentagon programs. DARPA in October 2018 selected Colorado-based Blue Canyon as one of the satellite bus suppliers for Blackjack. The agency in June 2020 awarded the company a $14.1 million contract to manufacture four satellites, with options worth $99 million for up to 20 satellites. Orbion is a four-year-old startup in Houghton, Michigan, that s
New Russian Ion Engines to Be Tested in Space 19.03.21 | 10:39 Keldysh Research Centre which is a member of the Roscosmos space corporation expects to conduct flight tests of ion engines in 2025-2030, TASS reports. Picture: News 24 Website It is specified that the Keldysh Centre has already created products with a capacity of 200 W to 35 kW. At the moment, their resource characteristics are being confirmed, a preliminary study is underway to create a 100 kW engine. It is noted that low-power engines will be used in low-orbit small spacecraft, high-power engines in heavy transport systems. The standard active life of a modern propulsion system, like the apparatus as a whole, is 15 years. In June last year, the specialists of the Keldysh Centre have already conducted firing docking tests of the ID-200 KR ion engine, modifications of which can be used to correct the orbit of satellites, as well as for the implementation of missions for the exploration of deep space.