19 MPTs Now On Orbit

We are excited to announce the successful launch of three more of our Metal Plasma Thrusters (MPT) on Space X’s Transporter-17 rideshare mission, from Vandenburg Space Force Base, California, on July 07, 2026. These MPTs are fabricated and supplied to customers under the brand name Xantus, by our manufacturing partner, Benchmark Space Systems, VT, USA.

This recent launch follows two earlier successful launches: one Xantus launched on Transporter-10, nine Xantus launched on Transporter-15 on November 28, 2025, and six Xantus on Transporter-16, bringing the total number of Xantus in orbit to nineteen.

Xantus is a Metal Plasma Thruster that has a smaller volume and mass than any comparable Electric Propulsion thruster. It has no moving parts, uses solid propellant at 10.2 g/cc storage density (>6x the density of Xe in Hall Thrusters), requires no neutralizer or auxiliary heaters, and is rugged and simple to operate with a 45V DC PPU.

Benchmark Space Systems has an established manufacturing line that can supply ~100 Xantus/year with no expansion necessary.

The MPT is also a risk-reducing complement to ABEP thrusters used for VLEO missions. The MPT sits at the rear of the spacecraft, shielded from AO bombardment and occupies a very small volume (0.6L for the basic thruster package including PPU).

Dr. Mahadevan Krishnan, President of AASC, states that AASC continues to make improvements to the MPT, to further enhance its utility to nano- and small-satellites, for station keeping, end-of-orbit maneuvers and fine positioning. The MPT is a pulsed thruster. When combined with Hall Thrusters, the combination provides greater mission flexibility for larger satellites while serving as a stand-alone propulsion option for nano-satellites and CubeSats.