Safran delivers first PPS®5000 to Boeing

Safran Aircraft Engines has delivered to Boeing its first PPS^®5000 Hall Effect Thrusters (HET), which will be mounted on all of the company’s new-generation all-electric satellite platforms. In addition, Boeing recently announced that it has again selected Safran Aircraft Engines to supply the complete propulsion subassembly based on the PPS^®5000 for all mission phases.

Boeing had chosen Safran Aircraft Engines in 2015 to provide the PPS^®5000 for geostationary orbital transfer duties on their commercial satellites, and also to supply the complete propulsion subassembly comprising electric Hall Effect Thrusters and the power processing unit (PPU) for orbit raising.

This milestone reflects the advanced qualification status of this electric thruster, which operates at a maximum power of 5 kilowatts. To date, the PPS^®5000 has accumulated over 7,000 hours of vacuum operation at full power, the equivalent of the orbital transfer requirement for a large satellite. Safran Aircraft Engines is also aiming to complete the qualification with the support of the French space agency CNES in 2020 to cover all satellite requirements to meet the specific needs of each manufacturer.

“We are very proud to deliver to Boeing these first PPS^®5000 thrusters and to extend our long-term relationship with them based on this new order. Our new-generation thruster is a game-changer for operators, as it enables them to increase the payload on geostationary satellites, while also reducing launch costs.” says Noëlle Manesse, head of plasma thruster programs at Safran Aircraft Engines.

To meet the PPS^®5000 production challenges, the company has started the ramp-up phase in 2018 and is entered in production phase from 2019.