Value chain · CLM-0673
In plain terms
Electric thrusters get roughly seven to fourteen times more push per kilogram of fuel than ordinary rocket fuel does, based on real, published engine performance figures.
The claim as recorded
Electric propulsion thrusters relevant to GEO transfer give specific impulse roughly 7 to 14 times that of chemical bipropellant (approximately 300-450 s): NEXT-C 1,400-4,200 s (25-235 mN, up to 7.4 kW); XIPS-25 (Boeing 702SP) 3,500 s in high-power mode (165 mN, 4.5 kW); NSTAR up to 3,120 s (91 mN maximum, at 2.3 kW).
Evidence behind this: T1 (NEXT-C); T3/T4 (XIPS-25, NSTAR)
Scope and limits
These are thruster-level, not vehicle-level, figures; they do not by themselves establish transfer duration or total propellant mass fraction for any specific mission, which depend on total available power and total mass (see CLM-0674, CLM-0677, CLM-0679).
What it assumes
The ~300-450 s chemical bipropellant comparator is a standard reference figure, not separately re-verified against a primary source here.
Where it comes from
NEXT-C: "Thruster specific impulse ranges from 1400 to 4200sec." XIPS-25: 3,500 s Isp, 165 mN thrust, 4.5 kW (eoPortal, citing Boeing data). NSTAR: "maximum thrust of about 0.091 N at a power level of 2.3 kW and maximum specific impulse of 3120 s" (Schmidt, Patterson and Benson, IAC-08-C4.4.2, as cited in Leitgab 2013, SRC-170 PDF p.4, reference [14] at PDF p.6; the IAC paper itself is not held). Ratios against 300-450 s: NEXT-C 9.3-14.0, XIPS-25 7.8-11.7, NSTAR 6.9-10.4.
Related records
- Answers question
- QST-002 not published in this release
Cite this
energyaperture.com/c/clm-0673
CLM-0673, Energy Aperture, as of 2020 (NEXT-C); 2008 (NSTAR); undated secondary summary (XIPS-25).
Connected records
Other published records linked to this one. A list, not a judgement.