A 20 N-class green bipropellant thruster from Dawn Aerospace using non-toxic nitrous oxide and propene propellants, designed for reliable, repeatable spacecraft propulsion from ground testing through on-orbit operations.
B20 Thruster
A 20 N-class green bipropellant thruster from Dawn Aerospace using non-toxic nitrous oxide and propene propellants, designed for reliable, repeatable spacecraft propulsion from ground testing through on-orbit operations.
Description
The B20 is Dawn Aerospace's 20 Newton-class green chemical thruster, built as a core building block of the company's modular satellite propulsion line alongside the B1, B5, and B200 thrusters. It integrates the thruster body, four normally-closed solenoid valves, and control electronics into a single additively manufactured Inconel 718 structure. The B20 uses a self-pressurizing bipropellant combination of nitrous oxide oxidizer and propene fuel, offering a non-toxic alternative to traditional hydrazine propulsion, which simplifies ground handling, storage, and launch integration. It supports both bipropellant and cold-gas firing modes, spark-based ignition with cold-start to full thrust in under 100 milliseconds, and is rated for 10,000+ restarts per thruster with unlimited cold-start capability, making it suitable for rendezvous, proximity operations, fine pointing, orbit-raising, deorbiting, and station-keeping. The thruster targets small to large satellites requiring substantial orbital maneuvers. Over 160 Dawn B-series thrusters have been launched to orbit aboard 55+ satellites across four launch vehicle families, with more than 30 customers globally including Pixxel, Sidus Space, Blue Canyon Technologies, Infinite Orbits, AstroForge, CNES, and ESA.
Specifications
| Thrust range | 6.46-18.11 N |
|---|---|
| Specific impulse (vacuum) | 240-285+ s |
| Propellant | Nitrous oxide oxidizer / propene fuel, self-pressurizing non-toxic bipropellant |
| Restarts | 10,000+ per thruster, unlimited cold starts |
| Ignition type | Spark-based, cold-start to full thrust in under 100 ms |
| Dry mass | 695 g |
| Construction | Additively manufactured (3D printed) Inconel 718 |
| Firing modes | Bipropellant and cold-gas, switchable |
| Flight heritage | 160+ Dawn B-series thrusters launched to orbit on 55+ satellites via SpaceX Transporter, Starlink rideshare, Rocket Lab Electron, and Arianespace Vega; customers include Pixxel, Sidus Space, Blue Canyon Technologies, AstroForge, CNES, and ESA |