Eight Kilowatt Hall Thruster System Characterization

Abstract

A nominal 8-kW Hall thruster system was developed for high power spacecraft applications. This thruster is supported by a 1.3 cm hollow cathode. Performance was measured directly at conditions representative of the space environment, bringing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to 5. At nominal conditions, the thruster delivers half a Newton of thrust at 8-kW with a specific impulse of greater 1900 s. Deep throttling capabilities were demonstrated. Performance and throttling curves are presented. Data were taken with xenon, krypton, and iodine. Details of the thruster and system components are also presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA595587

Entities

People

  • Bruce Pote
  • Chas Freeman
  • George Kolencik
  • James Szabo
  • Lawrence Byrne
  • Nikolaos Gatsonis
  • Rachel Tedrake
  • Surjeet Paintal
  • Vlad Hruby

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Electric Propulsion
  • Engineers
  • Hall Effect
  • Hall Thrusters
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechatronic Engineering
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Rocket Propulsion
  • Space Environments
  • Spacecraft
  • Specific Impulse
  • Thrust
  • Thrusters

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
  • Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster