Electric propulsion firm Magdrive adapts pulsed power system beyond thrusters

(SpaceEnergy) UK electric propulsion developer Magdrive has adapted its space-qualified pulsed power technology into a modular electrical power system for high-power small-satellite applications beyond propulsion.

The company presented the system at the Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, saying it can deliver short high-power pulses independently of a spacecraft’s continuous power-input limitations.

Magdrive developed the architecture originally for its plasma thrusters, which charge internal energy stores before rapidly discharging them to produce multi-kiloampere, megawatt-class electrical pulses. The company said the underlying approach derives from large-scale fusion pulsed-power architectures and has now been miniaturised and space-qualified in a modular format.

The technology is intended to reduce dependence on oversized battery packs or large solar-array deployments where spacecraft payloads or subsystems require high peak power but comparatively low continuous input.

Magdrive said applications could extend beyond propulsion to other in-orbit systems requiring rapid energy storage and discharge. Its Rogue propulsion system, which incorporates the pulsed-power architecture, completed an in-orbit demonstration earlier this year.