Miniature Ion Thruster for Precision Formation Flying

Wirz, Richard E.; Mueller, Juergen; Gale, Michael H.; Marrese, Colleen M.

doi:10.2514/6.2004-4115

Cited by 27 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Miniature ion thrusters (typically 1-3 cm diameter) are an attractive option for secondary propulsion for larger spacecraft, for formation flying and attitude control, or for primary propulsion to execute orbit transfers and maintenance in smaller spacecraft. [1][2][3] To date, discharges using ring-cusp designs have exhibited the best efficiency for ion thrusters at all scales. 4 However, smaller ion thrusters exhibit relatively low discharge efficiencies due to the inherent increase in the surface area-to-volume ratio of the plasma generation (i.e., discharge) chamber.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miniature ion thruster ring-cusp discharge performance and behavior

Dankongkakul

Wirz

2017

Journal of Applied Physics

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Miniature ion thrusters are an attractive option for a wide range of space missions due to their low power levels and high specific impulse. Thrusters using ring-cusp plasma discharges promise the highest performance, but are still limited by the challenges of efficiently maintaining a plasma discharge at such small scales (typically 1-3 cm diameter). This effort significantly advances the understanding of miniature-scale plasma discharges by comparing the performance and xenon plasma confinement behavior for 3-ring, 4-ring, and 5-ring cusp by using the 3 cm Miniature Xenon Ion thruster as a modifiable platform. By measuring and comparing the plasma and electron energy distribution maps throughout the discharge, we find that miniature ring-cusp plasma behavior is dominated by the high magnetic fields from the cusps; this can lead to high loss rates of high-energy primary electrons to the anode walls. However, the primary electron confinement was shown to considerably improve by imposing an axial magnetic field or by using cathode terminating cusps, which led to increases in the discharge efficiency of up to 50%. Even though these design modifications still present some challenges, they show promise to bypassing what were previously seen as inherent limitations to ring-cusp discharge efficiency at miniature scales. Published by AIP Publishing. https://doi

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miniature ion thruster ring-cusp discharge performance and behavior

Dankongkakul

Wirz

2017

Journal of Applied Physics

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“…8) A neutralizer was not used in this study, as there is little difference between the extracted ion beam current without a neutralizer and that with a filament neutralizer (= 0.2 mm×100 mm, 2% thoriated tungsten). There are several candidates for the neutralizer of this thruster, including a field emission cathode, 9,10) a filament cathode, a internal conduction cathode, 11) and a microwave discharge cathode. 12) A miniature microwave discharge neutralizer is under development, although it has thus far shown poor performance.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Microwave Discharge Ion Thruster Using Argon

Yamamoto

Miyoshi

Takao

et al. 2009

Trans. JSASS Space Tech. Japan

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Thrust performances in a microwave discharge ion thruster using argon as the propellant were investigated for possibility of alternative propellant of xenon. First, the ion beam currents using a 10 cm class were measured. The ion beam currents with argon propellant are larger than those with xenon propellant at Pi >24 W in the same configuration. The propellant utilization and ion beam production cost are 0.50 and 440 W/A, respectively at 2.45 GHz microwave input power of 37 W and argon gas flow rate of 2.28 sccm. Next the ion beam currents of 2 cm class ion thruster were measured. The optimum mass flow rate is 0.4 sccm, which is larger than that using xenon. This would be due to the smaller ionization cross section and lighter mass than those of xenon. The propellant utilization efficiency and ion beam production cost are 0.73, 750 W/A, respectively at argon mass flow rate of 0.4 sccm and input power of 16 W. This performance of ion thrusters using argon competes against that using xenon.

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“…It has therefore been proposed that the continuous low thrust offered by modern electrostatic thrusters could add versatility to spacecraft formation flight (Austin et al 1977). The thrust magnitudes required for formation keeping are generally small, and so several concepts for efficient electrostatic microthrusters have been developed (Cen and Xu 2010;Wirz et al 2004). Alternatively, Coulomb forces for formation control have been investigated by several authors (e.g.…”

Section: Forced Relative Motionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orbit period modulation for relative motion using continuous low thrust in the two-body and restricted three-body problems

Arnot

McInnes

McKay

et al. 2018

Celest Mech Dyn Astr

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This paper presents rich new families of relative orbits for spacecraft formation flight generated through the application of continuous thrust with only minimal intervention into the dynamics of the problem. Such simplicity facilitates implementation for small, lowcost spacecraft with only position state feedback, and yet permits interesting and novel relative orbits in both two-and three-body systems with potential future applications in space-based interferometry, hyperspectral sensing, and on-orbit inspection. Position feedback is used to modify the natural frequencies of the linearised relative dynamics through direct manipulation of the system eigenvalues, producing new families of stable relative orbits. Specifically, in the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire frame, simple adaptations of the linearised dynamics are used to produce a circular relative orbit, frequency-modulated out-of-plane motion, and a novel doubly periodic cylindrical relative trajectory for the purposes of on-orbit inspection. Within the circular restricted three-body problem, a similar minimal approach with position feedback is used to generate new families of stable, frequency-modulated relative orbits in the vicinity of a Lagrange point, culminating in the derivation of the gain requirements for synchronisation of the in-plane and out-of-plane frequencies to yield a singly periodic tilted elliptical relative orbit with potential use as a Lunar far-side communications relay. The v requirements for the cylindrical relative orbit and singly periodic Lagrange point orbit are analysed, and it is shown that these requirements are modest and feasible for existing low-thrust propulsion technology.

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Miniature Ion Thruster for Precision Formation Flying

Cited by 27 publications

References 7 publications

Miniature ion thruster ring-cusp discharge performance and behavior

Miniature ion thruster ring-cusp discharge performance and behavior

Development of a Microwave Discharge Ion Thruster Using Argon

Orbit period modulation for relative motion using continuous low thrust in the two-body and restricted three-body problems

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