May 31, 2020 · 4 A comment below Why will Starlink satellites use krypton instead of xenon for electric propulsion? links to the 2011 preprint A Performance Comparison of Xenon and KryptonPropellant …

Jul 9, 2024 · Think F = ma, where F in this case is the force of the electric field acting on the ion. If you change fuels (say from xenon to krypton, which is lighter), but don't change field strengths, then F …

To adjust position on orbit, maintain intended altitude, and deorbit, Starlink satellites feature Hall thrusters powered by krypton. (emphasis added) Most of the electric propulsion systems that I've …

May 18, 2019 · For krypton, you need much more energetic electrons than you would for xenon. This significantly increases the erosion rate, which will shorten the life of the thruster.

Dec 21, 2022 · Krypton and xenon have roughly the same charge in plasma thrusters (a bit more than the elemental charge) but the mass of xenon is much higher. Thus, for the same accelerating voltage …

Jun 18, 2025 · If the thrusters have a specific impulse of 1500s, that means the krypton atoms are traveling roughly 15 km/s when they exit the nozzle, which exceeds the escape velocity of earth. This …

Jun 2, 2021 · Krypton is far more common (~1 ppm, over 10x that of xenon), and is produced with similar strategies, so it is a lot cheaper than xenon, at 290 USD per kilogram. SpaceX is launching …

Nov 27, 2020 · Starlink satellites use krypton as propellant. This answer roughly estimates 2.3 kg of Krypton based on a total delta-V of 190 m/s and an exhaust velocity of 20,000 m/s. But how close is …

Aug 20, 2020 · How much krypton (fuel) is there for the krypton-powered ion thrusters on Starlink satellites and how long does it last?

Nov 11, 2019 · People like to use the word "solid" to advertise that the propellant is stored in stolid state, instead of a pressurised tank of a gas as xenon or krypton. Yes, you have to sublimate it by heating …