The BHT-600 is a mature propulsion system featuring high performance and compatibility with flight proven heritage components (cathodes, PPUs, and feed systems). The BHT-600 is especially suited for ESPA-class spacecraft and offers high performance over long-life, as well as operation on xenon or iodine propellants. The thruster is TRL-6.

The BHT-600 produces ~39mN thrust at 600W power at a specific impulse of ~1,500 seconds.

As of July 2019, a BHT-600 engineering model at NASA’s Glenn Research Center has accumulated 4,000 hours of operation (equating to ~40 kg Xe propellant throughput). Performance over this timeframe has not resulted in a discernable drop in thrust or specific impulse typically seen in other thruster designs. A hybrid BHT-600i (iodine anode, xenon cathode) has also been demonstrated for over one thousand hours of operation.

Busek provides complete and fully integrated Hall Effect thruster systems, including cathode, power processing unit, digital control unit, and propellant management systems.