Busek BIT-3 iodine RF ion thruster
Busek's BIT-3 is an iodine-fueled RF gridded-ion propulsion system for CubeSats, using a 2.5 cm inductively coupled RF ion thruster and BRFC-1 neutralizer. Busek lists 56-75 W system power, up to 1.1 mN thrust, up to 2,150 s specific impulse, and 1.40 kg dry mass with the optional gimbal; current company material says BIT-3 systems are being delivered, while NASA records the Lunar IceCube and LunaH-Map flight outcomes. The propulsion record preserves the system identity without asserting a separate vehicle-family edge.
Identity
- Aliases
- BIT-3Busek Ion Thruster 3-cm
- Domains
- spaceflight
- Identity Level
- model
- Kind
- electric-thruster
- Name
- Busek BIT-3 iodine RF ion thruster
- Status
- active
Details
- Description
- Busek's BIT-3 is an iodine-fueled RF gridded-ion propulsion system for CubeSats, using a 2.5 cm inductively coupled RF ion thruster and BRFC-1 neutralizer. Busek lists 56-75 W system power, up to 1.1 mN thrust, up to 2,150 s specific impulse, and 1.40 kg dry mass with the optional gimbal; current company material says BIT-3 systems are being delivered, while NASA records the Lunar IceCube and LunaH-Map flight outcomes. The propulsion record preserves the system identity without asserting a separate vehicle-family edge.
- Dry Mass
- …
- Electric Specs
- Input Power Max
- …
- Input Power Min
- …
- Specific Impulse Max
- …
- Specific Impulse Min
- …
- Thrust Max
- …
- Propellants
- iodine
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 15, 2026 at 02:48:52 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 22, 2026 at 09:47:57 UTC
Other
- Sources
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-14
- Note
- NASA Goddard's Lunar IceCube overview identifies the Busek BIT-3 system, 1.5 kg iodine load, below 1.15 mN baseline thrust, and approximately 2,500 s specific impulse.
- Publisher
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Title
- Lunar IceCube Mission Overview
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-14
- Note
- NASA's Lunar IceCube feature identifies BIT-3 as Busek's iodine-fueled RF ion propulsion system and the first system intended to use iodine in flight.
- Publisher
- NASA
- Title
- Lunar IceCube to Take on Big Mission From Small Package
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-14
- Note
- NASA's Lunar IceCube article reports BIT-3 operation at up to 80 W, solid-storable iodine, and integrated two-axis gimbal capability.
- Publisher
- NASA Technical Reports Server
- Title
- Lunar IceCube: A New Mission to the Moon
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-22
- Note
- Busek lists BIT-3 as an iodine RF ion system with 56-75 W input, up to 1.1 mN thrust, up to 2,150 s specific impulse, and 1.40 kg dry mass with gimbal; the page states Busek is presently delivering BIT-3 systems.
- Publisher
- Busek
- Title
- BIT-3 RF Ion Thruster
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-22
- Note
- NASA's current survey records BIT-3 as the primary propulsion system for Lunar IceCube and LunaH-Map, including the Lunar IceCube communications loss and the late-2023 LunaH-Map mission end after its BIT-3 could not perform the required maneuvers.
- Publisher
- NASA Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute
- Title
- State-of-the-Art Small Spacecraft Technology — In-Space Propulsion