Future Directions for Electric Propulsion Research

Abstract

The research challenges for electric propulsion technologies are examined in the context of s-curve development cycles. It is shown that the need for research is driven both by the application as well as relative maturity of the technology. For flight qualified systems such as moderately-powered Hall thrusters and gridded ion thrusters, there are open questions related to testing fidelity and predictive modeling. For less developed technologies like large-scale electrospray arrays and pulsed inductive thrusters, the challenges include scalability and realizing theoretical performance. Strategies are discussed to address the challenges of both mature and developed technologies. With the aid of targeted numerical and experimental facility effects studies, the application of data-driven analyses, and the development of advanced power systems, many of these hurdles can be overcome in the near future.

Background Pressure Effects on the Performance of a 20 kW Magnetically Shielded Hall Thruster Operating in Various Configurations

“…On the other hand, high-power thrusters target challenging performance metrics in terms of thrust efficiency and lifetime, so the impact of a high background pressure during the characterization and endurance testing may have a severe impact on thruster qualification. Regarding performance in space, an extrapolation of the performance to vacuum condition can be done, but it currently relies on performance fitting from data gathered over an ample range of pressure levels [35].…”

Electric Propulsion Methods for Small Satellites: A Review

“…However, issues arose with the propellant heaters not producing adequate active thrust duration to enable continued operation. One particular research avenue to consider is how to optimally arrange the Taylor cones into arrays and which configurations and manufacturing methods offer the best performances [47].…”

Direct experimental comparison of krypton and xenon discharge properties in the magnetic nozzle of a helicon plasma source

“…These devices feature several attractive characteristics for propulsion purposes, namely a relatively simple design, no need for a neutralizer, expected long lifetime, easy use of alternative propellants and high plasma densities (typically > 10 17 m −3 ) over a wide range of sizes and input powers. Although still at an early stage 18 , promising performance measurements have been recently reported 7,16 . As a result, HP thrusters have been proposed as an innovative alternative worth to be investigated to enrich the set of already available technologies for use on small platforms 19,20 .…”