Development status of the xenon propulsion subsystem for the Ital-GovSatCom platform

Thanks to their versatility of operation, high efficiencies and power-to-thrust ratios, Hall thrusters can be considered as one of the most promising options for in-space electric propulsion. From a commercial perspective, thrusters of power levels neighbouring 5kW are particularly interesting due to their employment in the electric orbit raising and station keeping phases of telecommunication GEO satellites. In the past three years SITAEL has designed, manufactured and tested the HT5k, a 5 kW-class Hall thruster, and the HC20, a 20 A-class hollow cathode. Recently, the thruster unit (TU5k) composed by the HT5k and the HC20 was selected to embark on a qualification and flight campaign for the Ital-GovSatCom (I-GSC) programme, an awarded national programme led by an alliance between Thales Alenia Space Italy and Telespazio with the goal of designing, realizing and putting into service an innovative platform for GEO applications. In this context, SITAEL is responsible of developing the entire xenon propulsion sub-system (XPS). This paper presents an overview of the XPS design and the ongoing development activities, including the foreseen qualification strategy of the TU5k.