Starlink satellites use krypton instead of xenon for electric propulsion to reduce operational costs
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 75/100
Studies confirm that krypton is evaluated and used as a lower-cost alternative to xenon in electric propulsion to reduce operational expenses, despite some trade-offs in efficiency.
Evidence for · 2
Comparative Performance Analysis of Xenon, Krypton, and Argon Propellants for Hall Thrusters Using a Reproducible Machine-learning Framework
2026 · cited by 0
Paper 7 notes that xenon is the reference propellant due to its high performance, but cost and supply concerns motivate the evaluation of krypton as a practical compromise between performance and cost.
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More for · 1
Parameters of the ST-40M Hall-effect thruster in its operation on xenon and krypton
2025 · cited by 0
Paper 11 states that the high cost of xenon significantly affects overall expenses, prompting research into alternative propellants like krypton to reduce operating costs.