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Electric Satellite Propulsion Company Raises $10 Million

posted by mrpg on Tuesday July 17 2018, @04:32AM   
from the rise-raise dept.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for takyon

A Silicon Valley startup developing electric propulsion systems for satellites has raised $10 million and added the billionaire founder of LinkedIn to its board.

Apollo Fusion announced the $10 million Series B round July 11, bringing the total the company has raised to date to more than $18 million. The round was led by venture fund Greylock Partners, with one of the fund's partners, Reid Hoffman, joining the board.

Apollo Fusion will use the funding to scale up manufacturing and testing facilities for its electric propulsion system, called the Apollo Constellation Engine (ACE). The company believes that ACE is well-suited to serve the growing demand for smallsats with onboard propulsion.

Source: Electric satellite propulsion company raises $10 million

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Original Submission

• Re:Xenon? (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday July 17 2018, @05:46AM

  by c0lo (156) on Tuesday July 17 2018, @05:46AM (#708225) Journal

  TFA

  [Mike] Cassidy [chief executive of Apollo Fusion] said that performance is due to several technical innovations in the ACE system, including a special cathode and a more efficient approach to magnetic lensing in the engine. ACE also uses an undisclosed proprietary propellant that he described as “very high performing.”

  My guess? They may be using a multiple ionized element, perhaps stored as a compound substance (denser than the liquefied gas form? The decomposition of which may let the element already ionized instead of expending energy to eject those electrons from a neutral atom first, accelerate them later?)

  --
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford

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