Developed by Sitael in Italy, the HT100 low power electric propulsion system is centered on a small size and low power Hall Effect Thruster, capable of boosting up to 6 millinewtons of thrust by accelerating ionised propellant particles through a magnetic field. Due to their high efficiency, Hall Effect Thrusters are in widespread use aboard geostationary and low-Earth orbit satellites for orbit maintenance purposes, increasing mission lifetimes, and enabling formation flying for constellations.

“Electric thrusters are highly complex systems on their own, involving almost just about every discipline one can imagine, and it took the team something like a year and a half to optimise the design.” comments Stefano Santandrea, Head of ESA’s Small Satellite Platform Unit, supporting µHETSat.