The Elwing Company

Since the first commercial communication satellite, which was nicknamed the early bird, was launched into geo-synchronous orbit in 1965 the industry has used chemical propulsion for “orbit raising” of satellites.

Using chemical propulsion for “orbit raising” is very costly due to the size of the mass of the system that needs to be launched. This process limits the industry from lowering the cost of space access and thereby expanding into emerging markets and new applications. There is however, an alternative to this limitation – electric propulsion.

Based on the innovative electrode less plasma thruster technology, Elwing product’s higher thrust and higher thrust-to-power ratio are designed to fulfill the propulsion needs of most commercial and non-commercial satellites.

It addresses the issues of high voltages, erosion and radio frequency interference and has the potential of reducing propellant mass by as much as 70%, thereby allowing satellite operators to increase the satellite payload by 50% or more.

A laboratory demonstrator of this technology has been designed, built and has undergone preliminary tests at ONERA (Office National d’Etudes et Recherches Aérospatiales), the French National Aerospace Lab, and at the Electric Propulsion & Plasma Dynamics Laboratory of Princeton University.

These tests have produced encouraging performance measurements that compares quite favorably to state of the art existing technologies, especially in terms of thrust, thrust-to-power ratio and versatility according to usually observed rules.

These tests have only explored a subsection of the potential operational space of this technology and still require more detailed and elaborate testing before being able to be qualified and commercialized.
The Elwing company has exclusive ownership of the technology, which is protected by a worldwide patent portfolio exceeding 25 approved patents.

The future of advance electric propulsion systems
Advanced electric propulsion will be the engine for accelerated growth for our customers, our companies and for the industry as a whole as it allows satellite operators to significantly increase their capabilities.