ISRO Set to Launch Indigenous Electric Thrusters for Satellites in December, Says ISRO Chief

New Delhi:  Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) is gearing up for a groundbreaking test of its home-grown electric thrusters in December, aiming to revolutionize satellite propulsion technology. During Sardar Patel Lecture at Akashvani, ISRO chairman S Somanath announced that first Technology Demonstrator Satellite (TDS-01), utilizing indigenously developed electric propulsion systems, will be launched next month.

TDS-01 will also showcase indigenously built traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs), crucial components for various communication and microwave remote sensing paylos on satellites. Tritionally, a four-tonne communication satellite requires over two tonnes of liquid fuel to maneuver from its launch orbit to desired geostationary orbit. However, Somanath revealed that "in case of electric propulsion, fuel requirement reduces to just 200 kg."

innovative electric propulsion system (EPS) employs propellant gases like Argon, which are ionized using solar power, leing to significant weight reductions. "When fuel tank size is reduced, size of every peripheral also comes down. It is a cumulative effect. So, this satellite will not weigh more than two tonnes, but will have power of a four-tonne satellite," Somanath explained.

Despite its vantages, electric propulsion has a downside: it generates lower thrust compared to chemical propulsion, resulting in longer travel times to desired orbit. " only issue with electric propulsion is it is very low thrust. It will take almost three months to reach geo orbit from launching orbit, as against one week in chemical thrusters," he noted.

ISRO's EPS was first implemented in South Asia Satellite - GSAT-9, launched in May 2017, but that system was entirely imported from Russia.

In dition to TDS-01, Somanath provided an update on NASA-ISRO Syntic Aperture Rar (NISAR) satellite, confirming that rar antenna reflector is complete. This critical component was transported from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to ISRO's spacecraft integration and test facility in Bengaluru, with integration scheduled to take about two months. "We will schedule it for launch in February," Somanath confirmed.

With se vancements, ISRO continues to solidify its position as a leer in space technology, pushing boundaries of what is possible in satellite design and propulsion.

(With Agency Inputs)