OKB Fakel

Experimental Design Bureau FAKEL (hereafter referred to as EDB Fakel) is one of the leading companies in Russia and the world, having a 55-year of experience in the development of Electric Propulsion Systems (EPS). These propulsion systems were successfully used for orbit-keeping purposes since the launch of the first spacecraft such as Meteor and Meteor-Priroda in the 70s.

Main products:

• Stationary plasma thrusters – SPT (thrust from 40 to 290 mN). The main application is the correction of the orbit, less often, the final ascent;
• Hydrazine thermal catalytic engines (thrust from 0.113 to 7 N). The main application is the orientation of the spacecraft in orbit;
• Works on the creation of nano-engines for use on small spacecraft, including the CubeSat type. The share of OKB “Fakel” in the world production of engines for spacecraft for various purposes is about 10%.

The production capabilities of OKB Fakel include:

• processing of high-temperature alloys and ceramics,
• welding (diffusion, spot, argon-arc, laser, electron beam),
• soldering of refractory materials with soft and hard solders of steel and titanium,
• plasma spraying,
• magnetic pulse stamping
• “clean” assembly.
• Well-established closed production cycle allows producing about a hundred engines per year.

The main domestic consumers of products: ISS, named after M.F. Reshetnev, RSC Energia, and NPO named after S.A. Lavochkin, GKNPTs named after M.V. Khrunichev, OJSC VNIIEM Corporation.

The main foreign consumers of products: Space Systems/Loral, Airbus D&S, THALES ALENIA SPACE, OHB.