spacetoday.net: Europe to embark on all-electric satellite program

Posted: Wed, Oct 16, 2013, 9:08 AM ET (1308 GMT)
The European Space Agency, a satellite operator, and a satellite manufacturer announced plans Tuesday to jointly develop a communications satellite platform that exclusively uses electric propulsion. The ELECTRA project is a public-private partnership between ESA and satellite operator SES to develop a satellite that uses electric propulsion both for stationkeeping as well as to raise its orbit to GEO after launch. Such "all-electric" spacecraft have lower masses than similar spacecraft that use chemical propulsion, allowing for the use of smaller, less-expensive rockets. German company OHB-System will be a subcontractor to SES to build the spacecraft. Funding is in place for a one-year design phase, with the first ELECTRA satellite launch planned for 2018. Many see the project as a response to Boeing's all-electric 702SP satellite bus introduced last year; four such spacecraft have been ordered to date to be launched two at a time on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets.