Jal Microwave Plasma Thruster
Bellatrix Aerospace
Water-fuelled microwave plasma electric thruster with zero propellant cost, for GEO and high-power missions.
Technical specifications
- Thrust (Jal 5000)
- 300 mN
- Power input
- 5000 W
- Specific impulse
- 1050 s
- Operational lifespan
- >20,000 hours
- Propellant
- Water
- Propellant cost
- $0
About
Jal is Bellatrix Aerospace’s microwave plasma thruster, a water-propelled electric propulsion system designed for missions requiring high power and long operational life, such as geostationary satellites. Using water as propellant eliminates propellant procurement cost and simplifies handling and storage compared to conventional electric propulsion propellants such as xenon. The flagship Jal 5000 variant delivers 300 mN of thrust at 5000 W of input power with a specific impulse of 1050 s, and is rated for an operational lifespan exceeding 20,000 hours. Bellatrix states the thruster provides the highest thrust-to-power ratio of any electric propulsion system in its class and roughly 4x higher specific impulse than chemical propulsion, while also offering variants beyond 5 kW of power for larger platforms.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
