The Starlink satellites, however, will use a different noble gas: krypton. It has a lower density, so the satellite fuel tanks need to be larger, and it offers less performance than xenon. But krypton can be bought at just one-tenth the cost of xenon, which matters if a company wants to fuel thousands of satellites. Price and production rate

2019年5月18日 · The Starlink satellites, however, will use a different noble gas: krypton. It has a lower density, so the satellite fuel tanks need to be larger, and it offers less performance than xenon. But krypton can be bought at just one-tenth the cost of xenon, which matters if a company wants to fuel thousands of satellites. (emphasis added)

2022年12月21日 · Does this then mean that while Krypton needs more power to operate, it achieves higher specific impulse because the electrons will have higher velocity when ionized? But then why is the overall thrust for Krypton lower? Wouldn't the above mean that for the same flow rate of fuel, at the same discharge voltage, Krypton produces more thrust?

2020年8月20日 · How much krypton (fuel) is there for the krypton-powered ion thrusters on Starlink satellites and how long does it last?

2020年11月27日 · Starlink satellites use krypton as propellant. This answer roughly estimates 2.3 kg of Krypton based on a total delta-V of 190 m/s and an exhaust velocity of 20,000 m/s. But how close is that to reality? Is it known how much propellant is loaded into a …

2020年5月31日 · The lower mass of krypton with respect to xenon also decreases the sputtering yield approximately by the square root of the mass ratio. If Hall thruster efficiency on krypton can be improved to approach that of xenon, a krypton thruster could benefit several interplanetary missions due to its higher specific impulse and longer lifetime.

2015年4月9日 · The Starlink constellation v1 satellites used Krypton for its ion thrusters. Starlink v2 satellites use Argon. Alibaba shows Krypton at around ~$100 / cubic meter, which is less than a tenth of the of the price volume wise. And Argon costs far less than Krypton.

2020年4月13日 · (Top edit: The Question asserts "Xenon and krypton are popular despite their heavy mass" and asks about exploring H or He ion propellants for improved Isp. This answer shows that lighter is not better for ion thrusters, because Isp is not the proper measure of a power-limited situation.

2018年7月6日 · Krypton is also narcotic at pressures above 3.9 bar. Neon is narcotic at very high pressure above 110 bar. Radon, the heaviest noble gas should not be breathed due to its radioactivity. A mixture of several noble gases is possible if containing oxygen too. Even a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen may be breathed.

2020年7月17日 · A krypton or xenon atmosphere should last longer, but I can't find any numbers for that. Of course, this wouldn't be breathable, and those gases are also much rarer than oxygen or nitrogen. Air wouldn't stay in a crater without a dome, it would diffuse out.