3 ms·
Yep, definitely power is an issue and a trade-off even with low levels of power. The other item is cost. Cold gas thrusters are super cheap and reliable. So the
by dr_orpheus 3y ago
Yep, definitely power is an issue and a trade-off even with low levels of power. The other item is cost. Cold gas thrusters are super cheap and reliable. So the savings in amount of propellant in going to an electric propulsion system is not going to be worth it in the overall program. This is also because the total amount of maneuvering they are doing (in terms of deltaV) is probably not very large. Lots of little maneuvers. This is compared to something where you have large delta V for big maneuvers or continuously overcoming drag in low LEO orbits where the amount of propellant will become a huge design driver.