EDB "Fakel"

Federal Space Agency FSUE EDB Fakel

FSUE EDB Fakel's building in Kaliningrad.	Russian President V. Putin presents V. Murashko, EDB Fakel General Designer, with the State Prize for the achievements in the field of development and application of electric propulsion thrusters intended for the increase of spacecraft's lifetime.


EDB Fakel's organization and status
EDB Fakel is a leading company in Russia and in the world which has a 45-year experience of development of various electric propulsion systems, a 30-year flight experience with the electric propulsion systems based on Stationary Plasma Thrusters (SPT), and a 20-year flight experience with Thermocatalytic Thrusters (TCT). Fakel was founded in 1955 as a Propulsion Laboratory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1962 Fakel got a status of an Experimental Design Bureau (EDB) and acquired its production facilities. Russian Government's regulation No. 982-P of 06.24.96 authorizes Fakel to conclude contracts with foreign customers for the delivery of SPTs with a power of up to 30 kW and develop electric thrusters and electric propulsion systems based on them in association with foreign companies. Russian Government's regulation No. 2011-P of 02.12.99 authorizes Fakel to form a joint venture with an American corporation ARC for production of Fakel's thrusters in the U.S. on a license basis.
General information about EDB Fakel
	Location: Kaliningrad, Russia Neman, Kaliningrad region, Russia 960 employees.
Production equipment: machining of high-temperature alloys and ceramics, welding, brazing, plasma spraying, magnetic impulse stamping, "clean" assembly. Test equipment: for environmental, thermal cycling, mechanical, thermal vacuum and firing tests (19 vacuum chambers from 0.5 to 54 m3 in volume with a pressure of down to 10-6 Torr, including chambers equipped with oil and cryogenic pumping systems). Complete cycle of creation of electric propulsion thrusters. Research, development, and manufacturing of flight electric propulsion thrusters. 560 inventions (150 of them are related to SPT) and 59 patents (44 of them are related to SPT)!
Quality Management System (QMS) has been certified in accordance with ISO 9001-2000 (GOST Р ИСО 9001-2001). Certificates of QMS conformance: ФСС КТ 134.01.3.1.000000.11.04 от 26.05.2004; РОСС RU.ИСО05.K00013 от 27.05.2004. Annular inspection of the EDB Fake's QMS is performed by a certification body and by FSUE NPO Technomash. The last inspection was in April 2005. As a result of inspections performed by customers the EDB Fakel's Quality Management System has been recognized as complying with contractual requirements and suitable for flight hardware production. Last inspections: Western customers: SS/L on November 9-12, 1992; SNECMA on May 13-16, 1997; EUTELSAT on May 20-23, 1997. Russian customers: NPO PM on December 20-22, 1997. Bureau Veritas on January 19-25, 2000. Product acceptance and product quality control have been performed by: - State Acceptance for Russian customers (for 35 years); - Cosmotech for foreign customers (for 10 years);
Production capabilities
Fakel is capable of producing large quantity of SPTs taking into account its 31-year experience of flight hardware production. Fakel's approach to manufacturing вЂ“ products are manufactured in the framework of the vertically formed integrated system (manufacturing, assembling, and testing). This approach ensures: -production flexibility (possibility of quick modification and change of products and their quantity); -independence from external factors; -designs are based on approved processes and materials; -control of all stages of production and subcontracts. To produce SPTs, Fakel's production facilities possess: Working areas equipped with the entire necessary infrastructure. Up to 10,000 m2 can be used. Working areas contain 1,500 m2 of reserved areas and 1,740 m2 of clear areas. Machine tools and equipment: more than 320 units, 50 types (20 unique, specially designed machine tools). Fakel possesses qualified technologies, personnel and working areas: -for assembly; -for welding (diffusion, spot, argon-arc, laser, and electron-beam welding), soldering and brazing of steel, titanium, and refractory metals; -for gluing and brazing of metals and ceramics; -more than 30 trained operators and 50 units of special equipment; -more than 160 pieces of special tools, jigs and riggings; -50 types of check-out equipment and equipment for nondestructive inspection; -production personnel who has a long-term operational experience in the field of SPT production. Fakel possesses a license allowing it to carry out standard and nonstandard measurements, and to certify measuring equipment.

EDB Fakel means:
-30-year flight heritage; -certified Quality Assurance System; -stages of development, optimization and qualification of products; -closed cycles of manufacturing and testing; -redundant test benches and reserve suppliers of materials. The right choice вЂ“ Fakel's thrusters for programs with EPS! We possess: - Know-how. - Experience. - Production capabilities. - Special test equipment. We produce in workmanlike manner. Our 100% success in orbit proves this!