IFM Nano Thruster Electric Space Propulsion: From First Cubesat Demonstration to the First 100 Thrusters Produced

Following the successful In-Orbit-Demonstration of the first IFM Nano Thruster, a high rate production facility has been established at ENPULSION, which has delivered 2 thruster per week since opening in 2018. This paper gives a brief overview on the passively fed, metal propellant based technology which enables simple integration and manufacturing procedures. The thrusters IFM Nano Thruster and the IFM Micro Thruster are described, before a discussion of the underlying high rate production philosophy is given. The paper further details the specific implementation of the high rate approach by discussing the ENPULSION manufacturing flow