India's own E-Satellite to be launched in December

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India will launch its own electric propulsion satellite (E-Satellite), which uses electricity instead of chemical fuel, in December this year. India's GSAT-9 satellite, launched in 2017, utilized electric propulsion systems provided by Russia. Notably, India has now developed its own electric propulsion technology, which is being used for the first time. Typically, a 4,000 kg satellite would have 2,500 kg of liquid fuel. However, with electric propulsion, this can be reduced to just 200 kg.

After reaching space, fuel is used to position and guide the satellite into its designated orbit. When fuel runs out, the satellite becomes non-functional. These issues can be overcome by using electricity. However, electricity does not provide as much thrust as chemical fuel does. It takes only one week for chemical fuel to bring a satellite to an orbit 36,000 kilometres away, while electric propulsion requires three months. Space agencies such as SpaceX, OneWeb, and China use electric propulsion.

Advantages
- Reduces satellite weight
- Allows installation of more instruments
- Increases satellite lifespan
- Enhances accuracy
- Lowers production costs

E-Satellite
In a conventional satellite, liquid oxygen and hydrogen serve as fuel, which is ignited for propulsion. In electric propulsion, ionized argon gas is used as the fuel. It absorbs charge from solar energy, generating electric power to propel the satellite forward.