(17 December 2010) After six months in space, ECAPS flight demonstration of the HPGP system within the PRISMA basic mission has been successfully completed and all test objectives have been met
The expected specific impulse improvement of 6%, and a density impulse improvement of 30% for the HPGP system with respect to hydrazine of has been verified
The PRISMA launch campaign demonstrated significant reduced risk, lead time and cost using HPGP
HPGP on-orbit operations
- Continues, pulse mode and off-modulation firings
- Firings with pulse durations from 50 ms up to 60 seconds over a wide range of duty cycles, i.e. from 0.1 to 99 %
- Pulse trains lasting up to 90 minutes (90% of the orbit)
- Firings performed in cross and along track
- More than 12500 pulses fired during 125 sequences
- Accumulated firing time 80 minutes
- 30 % of the propellant consumed
