CPE named a NASA GRC partner for Hall Thruster PPU development
June 2019, Colorado Power Electronics was mentioned in a press release by NASA: “Colorado Power Electronics Inc. of Fort Collins, Colorado, will partner with Glenn to mature power processing unit technology that extends the operating range of Hall thrusters, which are primarily used on Earth-orbiting satellites and can also be used for deep space missions. By integrating their technology with NASA and commercial Hall thrusters, the company expects to provide a propulsion system that can significantly increase mission payload or extend mission durations.” Source: NASA https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/nasa-announces-us-industry-partnerships-to-advance-moon-mars-technology-1028400283 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-announces-us-industry-partnerships-to-advance-moon-mars-technology-300893516.html
100kV Hi-Potter
Mid-February 2014, Colorado Power Electronics successfully designed, tested and shipped a 100kV power supply. For its output, the unit is a surprisingly-small form factor. Utilizing ceramic capacitor/diode multipliers combined with a high-turn output inductor and toroidal capacitor, this unit is both impressive in performance and appearance. Control of this unit includes an easy-to-read LCD display combined with an embedded push-button keypad. Output voltage and current are monitored and displayed on a live graph on the display. Even the main contactor which shorts the output of the unit is custom-built and verified to function up to the maximum voltage.
Colorado Power Electronics part of NASA contract winner
Denver Business Journal – May 9, 2005 Colorado Power Electronics Inc. is a member of the team led by Aerojet, which on Monday announced it has won a $32.4 million contract from NASA. Aerojet, based in Sacramento, Calif., won a multiyear contract from NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate to design, build, test and deliver a 600kW Hall Thruster electric propulsion system to power cargo transport vehicles to the moon and Mars. Aerojet is a GenCorp. Inc. (NYSE: GY) company. Aerojet’s team includes Colorado Power Electronics Inc. of Fort Collins, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, and NASA Glenn Research Center. The new system will be a 30-fold increase in power and thrust from current systems, which are approximately 18kW.