spacex - Why will Starlink satellites use krypton instead of xenon …
The Starlink satellites, however, will use a different noble gas: krypton. It has a lower density, so the satellite fuel tanks need to be larger, and it offers less performance than xenon. But krypton can be bought at just one-tenth the cost of xenon, which matters if a company wants to fuel thousands of satellites. Price and production rate
What performance specification would be lower for Krypton than …
May 18, 2019 · The Starlink satellites, however, will use a different noble gas: krypton. It has a lower density, so the satellite fuel tanks need to be larger, and it offers less performance than xenon. But krypton can be bought at just one-tenth the cost of xenon, which matters if a company wants to fuel thousands of satellites. (emphasis added)
Does Krypton or Xenon produce more thrust in a Hall-effect …
Dec 21, 2022 · Does this then mean that while Krypton needs more power to operate, it achieves higher specific impulse because the electrons will have higher velocity when ionized? But then why is the overall thrust for Krypton lower? Wouldn't the above mean that for the same flow rate of fuel, at the same discharge voltage, Krypton produces more thrust?
How much krypton is stored on a Starlink satellite?
Aug 20, 2020 · How much krypton (fuel) is there for the krypton-powered ion thrusters on Starlink satellites and how long does it last?
physics - Why might krypton have a lower utilization fraction than ...
May 31, 2020 · As stated in High-Specific Impulse Hall Thrusters, Part 2: Efficiency Analysis (section "Krypton Operation"), the lower propellant utilization efficiency of Krypton is due to its higher ionization energy when compared to xenon (13.99 eV instead of 12.12 eV), which drains more power from the discharge to sustain a plasma with the same density.
How much does it cost to fill an ion thuster with Xenon for a ...
Apr 9, 2015 · The Starlink constellation v1 satellites used Krypton for its ion thrusters. Starlink v2 satellites use Argon. Alibaba shows Krypton at around ~$100 / cubic meter, which is less than a tenth of the of the price volume wise. And Argon costs far less than Krypton.
spacex - How much krypton do Starlink satellites carry when they …
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 that to reality? Is it known how much propellant is loaded into a …
ion thruster - How much of the world's xenon has been used in ...
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 Starlink very fast, so they can't wait for a suitable xenon supply to show up. Xenon is commonly used only because it has a higher performance.
Why do ion thrusters frequently use xenon as the reaction mass?
May 2, 2015 · From skimming the Wikipedia article on ion thrusters, I notice that xenon is frequently (though not exclusively) used as the reaction mass in systems that have actually been deployed - Deep Space 1,
Sources of Xenon or other noble gases in space?
Two (chemically) inert fission byproducts of Uranium 233 are Xenon 135 and Krypton 85. Though unproven and purely speculative, it might be feasible to power a spacecraft's electrical needs with a uranium powered fission reactor that can reject those elements and use them as reaction mass for electric propulsion.