Apollo Fusion ACE thruster operating with Xenon propellant. Credit: PRNewsfoto/ Apollo Fusion.

Aerospace company York Space Systems has contracted propulsion system provider Apollo Fusion to power a low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation programme.

Apollo Fusion specialises in designing and building advanced Hall thruster propulsion systems for a wide variety of government and commercial satellite programmes.

It has so far designed and built systems for more than 1,000 satellites that are in orbit.

As part of the contract, Apollo Fusion will provide the Apollo Constellation Engine (ACE) electric propulsion system.

It will be integrated into an LEO constellation that comprises of more than ten satellites. Launch of the satellites is expected to take place next year.

Apollo CEO Mike Cassidy said: “We’re thrilled to be selected by York to provide the high performance necessary for this exciting constellation mission.

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“Apollo is proud to support this programme’s very rapid schedule with deliveries of flight systems in only ten months.”

ACE is a low-thrust, high-efficiency, radiation-hardened Hall thruster propulsion system featuring a modular design.

It is in line with the programme’s cost, schedule and volume requirements, and will have up to 40% more delta-V than originally expected.

York Space Systems is one of the leading innovative aerospace companies, specialising in both end-to-end customer solutions and the rapid production of spacecraft platforms.

Last June, the company was contracted by Australian Earth observation start-up LatConnect 60 to manufacture small satellites and operate its Earth observation constellation.