Helios LITE – A First Thruster Model Based on the Ttwo-Stage Ionization Concept of Helios

Current methods for sending spacecraft to Mars require carrying all the necessary fuel for the entire journey, from launch to the distant final orbit. Without the option of refuelling en route, this significantly increases the spacecraft’s total mass, which, in turn, demands even more fuel to overcome Earth’s gravitational forces.

A spacecraft bound for Mars, that needs just enough fuel to reach low Earth orbit for a refuelling stop, would drastically reduce the launch mass of a spacecraft. Helios is capable of paving the way for this new vision of space exploration by offering a completely new technological approach to spaceflight: high-thrust continuous electric propulsion.

In contrast to traditional electric propulsion, Helios uses a unique two-stage ionisation system, tailored to ionise a neutral gas under higher pressure conditions .This provides the technological foundation for generating high thrust with an electric propulsion system. The all-new Helios concept has been developed “without baggage”, focusing only on the desired performance outcome: the generation of high thrust.

Helios LITE is onlythe first version of the Helios thruster family, a first step in creating a new class of thrusters: Electric, highly fuel efficient and capable of generating higher thrust levels. The far-reaching, spiral trajectories that a thruster like Helios can enable for spacecraft unlock new possibilities for in-space transportation.

Benefits:

• Electric and highly fuel-efficient thrusters
• Use of a neutral gas to generate high thrust
• Reduction of the ground-to-space segment trajectory
• Continuous high-thrust electric propulsion as the basis for a space transportation ecosystem