Exotrail partners with Airbus on small EO satellite propulsion

Dieppe, 23 September 2022. – Exotrail signed an agreement with Airbus for the integration of the spaceware-mini thruster (formerly known as ExoMG-mini), Exotrail’s new 300-600-watt-class electric propulsion system, as part of Airbus’ Earth Observation satellite platform portfolio, Exotrail said. The cooperation allows for the purchase and delivery of the 300-watt thruster at completion of qualification in 2024.

According to the agreement, Exotrail will ensure that the thruster is compatible with Airbus’ platforms. With this, Exotrail provides a new European source for Hall Effect propulsion thrusters to the space company.

Airbus’ aim is to offer high performance, high quality and competitive Earth observation platforms to its customers. Therefore, the design is customizable covering a large variety of low Earth orbit applications that can be tailored to individual needs. Airbus will be able to integrate Exotrail’s 300-watt-class electric propulsion thruster into various configurations.

The project is expected to enable further improvements in design flexibility, compactness, competitiveness and production times, Airbus said.