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| VACUUM TIGHT -- Hughes Electron Dynamics Division in Torrance has added a
massive thermal vacuum chamber for qualification and lifetime testing of
its revolutionary xenon ion propulsion system, XIPS. As an alternative to
traditional chemical bipropellant systems, XIPS makes it possible to
reduce propellant onboard a satellite by as much as 90 percent. Hughes,
the first to offer a XIPS on a commercial spacecraft, launched the first
thruster on Aug. 27, 1997, onboard the PAS-5 satellite. The chamber weighs
200,100 pounds and measures 20 feet in diameter by 40 feet in length.
Thirty vacuum pumps are used to pump out the xenon emitted during thruster
operation, thus maintaining the vacuum the unit would encounter in space.
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HUGHES TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SPACE COMPANY Electron Dynamics Division Public Relations Office P.O. Box 92919 (S10/S323) Los Angeles, CA 90009 (310) 364-6363 www.hughespace.com |
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