MUSIC Electric Propulsion System
Multi-stage Hall thruster
Multi-mode operation
Instant ignition option possible
Modular design
High thrust-to-power ratio
MUSIC Electric Propulsion System offers a modular architecture that allows for the widest dynamic range of thrust and specific impulse for such a system available on the market today. With three modes of operation, MUSIC can provide a thrust raging from as low as 0.1 mN to as high as 3 mN, with a total impulse up to 15 kNs within a 4U form factor.
Self-ignition Mode
Hot Mode
Dual Mode/ Fault-tolerant
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Instant ignition
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No "hot stand-by" required
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Technology in orbit as of January 2022
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With hollow cathode
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High thrust and specific impulse
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Technology in orbit as of July 2023
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Self-ignition and hot modes combined
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Wide range of thrust and specific impulse
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Self-ignition mode for redundancy
Form factor
Power
Thrust
Specific impulse
Total impulse
Wet mass
Fuel
Satellite class
1.5U
< 20 W
Up to 0.25 mN
Up to 200 s
1 kNs*
2 kg
Xe/Kr gas
Nanosatellites
4U
< 100 W
~3 mN
~1000 s
15 kNs*
5 kg
Xe/Kr gas
Microsatellites
4U
< 100 W
0.1 to 3 mN
200 to 1000 s
15 kNs*
5 kg
Xe/Kr gas
Microsatellites
*With Xe (configurable).
The self-ignition mode provides unprecedented low-power consumption and instant ignition (without "hot stand-by") for a Hall thruster. Aliena deployed the record-breaking technology on a 3U nanosatellite in January 2022,
Our low-current hollow cathode technology allows for reliable high thrust/high specific impulse operation at sub-100 W in hot mode. MUSIC-HM was deployed in space on a 12U satellite in July 2023.
The dual mode operation, which integrates both the self-ignition technology and the hollow cathode, makes MUSIC the Hall thruster with the widest dynamic thrust range and a fault tolerant system that can ignite on demand.