Press Release - Astra

8/14/2019 Press Release - Astra

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PRESS RELEASE 011009, September 30,2009VASIMR ® VX-200 reaches 200 kW powermilestone. [Houston, TX. For immediate release] – AdAstra Rocket Company’s VASIMR ® VX-200rocket prototype reached its highly- coveted 200kW maximum power milestone at 11:59 am

(CST) in tests conducted at the company’sHouston laboratory. The DC power traceactually exceeded the design requirement by 1kW and exhibited the clear signature of a well-established plateau at peak power (see graph).The achievement comes after an intenseexperimental campaign that began last Aprilwhen the engine was fitted with a powerful lowtemperature superconducting magnet, a criticalcomponent that enables VASIMR ® to processlarge amounts of plasma power. The electricalpower processing is accomplished using high

efficiency, 95%, solid state RF generators builtby Nautel Ltd of Halifax, Canada.Demonstration of a 200 kW capability wasrequired to validate, with full scale performancedata, the design of the VF-200-1 alreadyunderway. The VX-200 turns out to exceed theexpected power density of VF-200-1 by about25%, so this is a robust demonstration of the

technology. The VF-200-1 is the first engine thatthe company plans to fly in space, and it ispresently working with NASA to effectuate in-space testing in late 2013 on the InternationalSpace Station (ISS).

The total power processed by the engine isdistributed between its two electromagneticstages. The first, tested last July at its full 32 kWpower rating, generates the plasma from Argonfeedstock gas, while the second energizes it tothe desired output conditions. At maximum

Ad Astra Rocket Company141 West Bay Area Blvd.Webster, TX 77598Telephones:USA: 281-526-0500 (voice) 281-526-0599 (fax)Costa Rica: 506-2666-9272 (voice)European Office: 0049-6192-902591,Frankfurt, Germany.www.adastrarocket.com



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power, the second stage contributes anadditional 168 kW to complete the 200 kWpower rating. “The 200 kW test is, in effect, avalidation of the VASIMR ® second stage design,a hitherto untested element of the engine at thesetremendous power levels,” said Dr. Jared P.Squire, Ad Astra’s Director of Research andleader of the experimental team conducting thetests. “Preliminary data indicate a better thanexpected power coupling, leading to slightly lessthermal stress than originally predicted. Thesefindings will continue to be verified, but theindications point to operation well within thechosen design specifications” he said.

Short for Variable Specific ImpulseMagnetoplasma Rocket, VASIMR ® is a newhigh-power plasma-based space propulsion

technology, initially studied by NASA and nowbeing developed privately by Ad Astra. AVASIMR ® engine could transport payloads inspace far more efficiently and economically thantoday’s chemical rockets. The companyenvisions an early commercial deployment ofthe technology, beginning in 2014, to greatlyreduce the operational costs of maintaining anevolving space infrastructure, including spacestations, satellites, lunar outposts and fuel depotsin the Earth-Moon environment. Ultimately,VASIMR ® engines could also greatly shorten

robotic and human transit times for missions toMars and beyond.

“In terms of the end goal of building anoperational engine, the achievement of thismilestone implies a significant reduction in thetotal risk for the flight project” said, Dr. TimGlover, Ad Astra’s Director of Development.The research team will now focus on fine-tuningand further exploring and characterizing theoperational envelope of the engine, which willnow provide the data set required to design the

flight unit. “It should also be noted that VX-200is a single 200 kW thruster core while the VF-200-1 that we are designing is a twin engineconsisting of two cores that will be operated at100 kW each. By operating a single core at 200kW, we have demonstrated that the design has alarge safety margin, particularly for the secondstage in which most of the power is processed.”

“This latest achievement is a fitting tribute to theoutstanding Ad Astra team. It has workedcohesively, tirelessly and efficiently at both theHouston and Costa Rica facilities to accomplishthis important milestone. I am proud andhonored to have the opportunity to workalongside this superb group of individuals who,with focus and determination, turn dreams intoreality” said Ad Astra’s CEO Franklin ChangDiaz, as he received the news of theachievement while speaking at the 7th SpaceInvestment Summit in Boston, Massachusetts.

T HE TECHNOLOGY

The VASIMR ® engine works with plasma, avery hot gas, at temperatures close to the interiorof the Sun. Plasmas are electrically charged

fluids that can be heated to extreme temperaturesby radio waves and controlled and guided bystrong magnetic fields. The magnetic field alsoinsulates any nearby structure, so temperatureswell beyond the melting point of materials canbe achieved and the resulting plasma can beharnessed to produce propulsion. In rocketpropulsion, the higher the temperature of theexhaust gases, the higher their velocity and



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hence the higher their fuel efficiency. Plasmarockets feature exhaust velocities far abovethose achievable by their chemical cousins, sotheir fuel consumption is extremely low andtheir fuel-related costs substantially reduced.

ABOUT AD ASTRA

Ad Astra Rocket Company is a privately-ownedcorporation established January 14, 2005 tocommercialize the technology of the VASIMR ® engine, a plasma propulsion system originallystudied by NASA with potential to support anemerging in-space transportation market. Thecompany has its main laboratory and corporateheadquarters at 141 W. Bay Area Boulevard inWebster, Texas, USA. Ad Astra also owns andoperates Ad Astra Rocket Company, Costa Rica,

a supporting research and developmentsubsidiary in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Press Release - Astra

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