Product · RF PPU
The RF power processing unit for plasma thrusters
Spacecraft bus power in, matched RF drive out. One GaN subsystem between the platform and the thruster antenna.
- 50 to 500 W RF, at 13.56 MHz for helicon sources, lower for RIT-class thrusters.
- Power set in software, roughly a 10:1 range, no mechanical tuning.
- Rides through load mismatch on fast hardware protection, no circulator on the mass budget.
- Two redundant 28 V DC inputs, 50 ohm coaxial RF output.
- COTS-first, European, ITAR-free.
Specification
| Parameter | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RF output power | 50 to 500 W | Working number |
| Operating frequency | 13.56 MHz for helicon sources; lower for RIT-class thrusters | Set by the target thruster |
| DC input | Two redundant 28 V DC (standard bus), 18 to 40 VDC design range | Design figure |
| Power stage | GaN, switch-mode | Decided |
| Power control | Software-set, about 10:1 range, no mechanical tuning | Architecture set |
| Load tolerance | VSWR ride-through without a circulator or isolator | Architecture set |
| RF output | 50 ohm coaxial; antenna match or adaptive network as a separate downstream module | Tentative |
| EMC | Low radiated emissions expected from a switch-mode stage (per published comparative measurements) | Reference data |
| Command and telemetry | Spacecraft data bus, autonomous fault handling | Decided |
| Mass and envelope | Product target under 2 kg; engineering model figure to follow | Open |
| Thermal | Conduction to a baseplate or cold plate | Coupled to the mechanical design |
| Supply chain | COTS-first, European, ITAR-free | Positioning |
DC-to-RF efficiency is not published while it is unmeasured.
Power you set in software
Output power is set in software over roughly a 10:1 range, with no mechanical tuning. The adaptive matching network holds the amplifier at its design load as the plasma drifts, so nothing that would be impractical to adjust in orbit ever needs to be. Commercial 13.56 MHz plasma generators have worked this way for decades; we are bringing it to a flight form factor.
Rides through load mismatch, no circulator
An RF plasma load can swing hard at ignition and reflect power back into the amplifier. The common protection is a circulator or isolator at the output, which works and costs mass and volume. Our unit rides through mismatch and antenna faults with fast hardware protection instead, so none of the mass budget goes to a circulator.
Which thrusters it fits
The core is thruster-agnostic. It maps to helicon and ICP thrusters at 13.56 MHz and gridded RF ion thrusters at 0.5 to 2 MHz. Background in the technical guide.
Building an RF or helicon thruster?
Let us compare notes on the power chain. The current design-target specification and block architecture are available on request.
Talk to our engineering team