TAMPA, Fla. — Bulgarian microsatellite specialist EnduroSat has ordered 100 electric propulsion systems from Austria’s Enpulsion as demand for larger spacecraft continues to rise.
EnduroSat builds satellites starting from a one-unit (1U) standard cubesat structure measuring 10 centimeters a side, “but we do not have much demand for those lately,” company spokesperson Pavel Lozanov said Nov. 25.
As falling launch prices help push the industry toward larger and more capable spacecraft, the company plans to include the thrusters as a default for satellite platforms 6U and larger.
“We are experiencing a lot of demands for bigger satellites that will use thrusters as a baseline,” Lozanov said via email, “and we want to be prepared and able to continue delivering space infrastructure with short lead times.”
Onboard propulsion extends a satellite’s operational life and enables operators to maneuver it in space and safely de-orbit once the mission ends.
Balkan-2, part of the Balkan extension of Europe’s Copernicus Earth observation constellation, is set to be one of the first EnduroSat satellites to use Enpulsion’s Field Emission Electric Propulsion technology.
Lozanov declined to provide financial details about the contract with Enpulsion but said the delivery timeline is flexible, based on customer demand and the propulsion maker’s manufacturing capacity.
The first 30 propulsion systems are scheduled for delivery within the next 12 months, including an initial batch due before the end of this year.
According to Enpulsion, more than 200 of its propulsion systems are currently in space.
The eight-year-old Hungarian company also said it had tripled the size of its facilities this year to 4,000 square meters, following increasing demand for space mobility and faster production times.
EnduroSat deployed its first satellite in 2018 and says it has delivered more than 60 spacecraft to date.
