FPPT - Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster System

The Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT) self-contained system uses PTFE (Teflon®) fiber as propellant (no liquid or gaseous propellant requiring pressure vessels or valving). With only a 10-microsecond pulse from this powerful thruster, the FPPT system provides very high specific impulse of greater than 3,500 s. The PTFE (Teflon®) Fiber is spooled in the back of the package and fed into the center of the system. The high specific impulse and total impulse are competitive with Hall and ion-thruster technologies at much lower cost and without the need for a pressurized propellant tank or valving that can leak propellant. The system also includes electromagnetic thrust vectoring (steering) of approximately ±5 degrees in the pitch and yaw axes.

The FPPT, through its electromagnetic short-pulse discharge, provides a dramatic increase in total impulse to greater than 25,000 N-s in a 1.7-liter sized package. 

FPPT has now evolved into various form factors ranging from 0.7-liter to 53-liter sizes to provide a broad range of total impulses from 1,000 – 600,000 N-s, respectively. FPPT technology is a compelling option to meet many micro-propulsion needs, including extended orbital maneuvers (orbit raising and lowering), inclination change, collision avoidance maneuvers, drag makeup, deorbiting, and even deep space capability.

The newest ESPA-class FPPT can also serve as the propulsion system for active debris removal (ADR) satellites.