Ion thruster - Knowledge

29: 2430: 919: 65: 4974:"SpaceX on X: "Among other enhancements, V2 minis are equipped with new argon Hall thrusters for on orbit maneuvering Developed by SpaceX engineers, they have 2.4x the thrust and 1.5x the specific impulse of our first gen thrusters. This will also be the first time ever that argon Hall thrusters are operated in space Argon Hall thruster tech specs: - 170 mN thrust - 2500 s specific impulse - 50% total efficiency - 4.2 kW power - 2.1 kg mass - Center mounted cathode"" 57: 848: 7376: 277: 7784: 7756: 1234: 1248: 7808: 2494:, e.g., for chemical fuels. Ion thrusters can also be used for interplanetary and deep-space missions where acceleration rates are not crucial. Ion thrusters are seen as the best solution for these missions, as they require high change in velocity but do not require rapid acceleration. Continuous thrust over long durations can reach high velocities while consuming far less propellant than traditional chemical rockets. 755: 7796: 6171: 6147: 5485: 5186: 5136: 4701: 4364: 4248: 4205: 4091: 3636: 3591: 3552: 3513: 2311:(NEXT) project operated continuously for more than 48,000 hours. The test was conducted in a high-vacuum test chamber. Over the course of the test, which lasted more than five and a half years, the engine consumed approximately 870 kilograms of xenon propellant. The total impulse generated would require over 10,000 kilograms of conventional rocket propellant for a similar application. 2923:– a high-efficiency engine (high specific impulse) for station-keeping would be valuable; theoretically VASIMR reboosting could cut fuel cost from the current US$ 210 million annually to one-twentieth. VASIMR could in theory use as little as 300 kg of argon gas for ISS station-keeping instead of 7500 kg of chemical fuel – the high exhaust velocity (high 2904:(ISS). However, in 2015, NASA ended plans for flying the VF-200 to the ISS. A NASA spokesperson stated that the ISS "was not an ideal demonstration platform for the desired performance level of the engines". Ad Astra stated that tests of a VASIMR thruster on the ISS would remain an option after a future in-space demonstration. 2589:

Hall-effect thrusters are created with crewed mission safety in mind with effort to prevent erosion and damage caused by the accelerated ion particles. A magnetic field and specially designed ceramic shield was created to repel damaging particles and maintain integrity of the thrusters. According to the

899:. At a sufficiently high applied voltage, positive ions are extracted from the tips of the cones. The electric field created by the emitter and the accelerator then accelerates the ions. An external source of electrons neutralizes the positively charged ion stream to prevent charging of the spacecraft. 979:

creates a current in the gas that has just been released in the opposite direction of the original current. This opposite current ionizes the ammonia. The positively charged ions are accelerated away from the engine due to the electric field jθ crossing the magnetic field Br, due to the Lorentz force.

2292:

In electrostatic gridded designs, charge-exchange ions produced by the beam ions with the neutral gas flow can be accelerated towards the negatively biased accelerator grid and cause grid erosion. End-of-life is reached when either the grid structure fails or the holes in the grid become large enough

892:

propellants. The design comprises a small propellant reservoir that stores the liquid metal, a narrow tube or a system of parallel plates that the liquid flows through and an accelerator (a ring or an elongated aperture in a metallic plate) about a millimeter past the tube end. Caesium and indium are

862:

The anode is at one end of a cylindrical tube. In the center is a spike that is wound to produce a radial magnetic field between it and the surrounding tube. The ions are largely unaffected by the magnetic field, since they are too massive. However, the electrons produced near the end of the spike to

2588:

is propelled by both chemical thrusters and four Hall-effect thrusters, which are used to adjust and maintain the station's orbit. The development of the Hall-effect thrusters is considered a sensitive topic in China, with scientists "working to improve the technology without attracting attention".

1143:. The electrical potential is much higher inside the source region than in the exhaust and this serves both to confine most of the electrons and to accelerate the ions away from the source region. Enough electrons escape the source region to ensure that the plasma in the exhaust is neutral overall. 2338:

represents a large percentage of the energy needed to run ion drives. The ideal propellant is thus easy to ionize and has a high mass/ionization energy ratio. In addition, the propellant should not erode the thruster to any great degree, so as to permit long life, and should not contaminate the

858:

accelerate ions by means of an electric potential between a cylindrical anode and a negatively charged plasma that forms the cathode. The bulk of the propellant (typically xenon) is introduced near the anode, where it ionizes and flows toward the cathode; ions accelerate towards and through it,

978:

is the gas most commonly used. For each pulse, a large charge builds up in a group of capacitors behind the coil and is then released. This creates a current that moves circularly in the direction of jθ. The current then creates a magnetic field in the outward radial direction (Br), which then

784:

The positively charged ions are extracted by a system consisting of 2 or 3 multi-aperture grids. After entering the grid system near the plasma sheath, the ions are accelerated by the potential difference between the first grid and second grid (called the screen grid and the accelerator grid,

780:

and accelerated through the potential difference towards an anode. Alternatively, the electrons can be accelerated by an oscillating induced electric field created by an alternating electromagnet, which results in a self-sustaining discharge without a cathode (radio frequency ion thruster).

405:. The drawback of the low thrust is low acceleration because the mass of the electric power unit directly correlates with the amount of power. This low thrust makes ion thrusters unsuited for launching spacecraft into orbit, but effective for in-space propulsion over longer periods of time. 1040:

tube. MPD cathodes are easily corroded due to constant contact with the plasma. In the LiLFA thruster, the lithium vapor is injected into the hollow cathode and is not ionized to its plasma form/corrode the cathode rods until it exits the tube. The plasma is then accelerated using the same

2319:

Hall-effect thrusters suffer from strong erosion of the ceramic discharge chamber by impact of energetic ions: a test reported in 2010 showed erosion of around 1 mm per hundred hours of operation, though this is inconsistent with observed on-orbit lifetimes of a few thousand hours.

252:' concept. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has created designs that are able to fly for short distances and at low speeds at ground level, using ultra-light materials and low drag aerofoils. An ion engine cannot usually generate sufficient thrust to achieve initial 893:

used due to their high atomic weights, low ionization potentials and low melting points. Once the liquid metal reaches the end of the tube, an electric field applied between the emitter and the accelerator causes the liquid surface to deform into a series of protruding cusps, or

1035:

The LiLFA thruster uses the same general idea as the MPD thruster, though with two main differences. First, the LiLFA uses lithium vapor, which can be stored as a solid. The other difference is that the single cathode is replaced by multiple, smaller cathode rods packed into a

1136:. In operation, a sharp boundary separates the high density plasma inside the source region and the low density plasma in the exhaust, which is associated with a sharp change in electrical potential. Plasma properties change rapidly across this boundary, which is known as a 2974:

concept mission to study Mars' ionosphere. The mission would investigate its plasma and magnetic structure, including transient plasma structures, magnetic field structure, magnetic activity and correlation with solar wind drivers. The CAT thruster is now called the

2558:

began using ion thrusters for station-keeping in 1997 and planned in 2013–2014 to offer a variant on their 702 platform, with no chemical engine and ion thrusters for orbit raising; this permits a significantly lower launch mass for a given satellite capability.

2293:

that ion extraction is substantially affected – e.g., by the occurrence of electron backstreaming. Grid erosion cannot be avoided and is the major lifetime-limiting factor. Thorough grid design and material selection enable lifetimes of 20,000 hours or more.

1032:. This plasma then conducts electricity between the anode and the cathode, closing the circuit. This new current creates a magnetic field around the cathode, which crosses with the electric field, thereby accelerating the plasma due to the Lorentz force. 2593:, the ion drive used on Tiangong has burned continuously for 8,240 hours without a glitch, indicating their suitability for the Chinese space station's designated 15-year lifespan. This is the world's first Hall thruster on a human-rated mission. 772:

The ionization process takes place in the discharge chamber, where by bombarding the propellant with energetic electrons, as the energy transferred ejects valence electrons from the propellant gas's atoms. These electrons can be provided by a hot

352:

in the 1950s and 1960s. Hall-effect thrusters operated on Soviet satellites from 1972 until the late 1990s, mainly used for satellite stabilization in north–south and in east–west directions. Some 100–200 engines completed missions on Soviet and

2353:

propellant. However, mercury is toxic, tended to contaminate spacecraft, and was difficult to feed accurately. A modern commercial prototype may be using mercury successfully however, mercury was formally banned as a propellant in 2022 by the

1213:, with a free flying VASIMR test being discussed by Ad Astra instead. An envisioned 200 MW engine could reduce the duration of flight from Earth to Jupiter or Saturn from six years to fourteen months, and Mars from 7 months to 39 days. 1069:

have two unique features: the removal of the anode and cathode electrodes and the ability to throttle the engine. The removal of the electrodes eliminates erosion, which limits lifetime on other ion engines. Neutral gas is first ionized by

2638:(GOCE) was launched on 16 March 2009. It used ion propulsion throughout its twenty-month mission to combat the air-drag it experienced in its low orbit (altitude of 255 kilometres) before intentionally deorbiting on 11 November 2013. 2411:. The CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT) used on the Mars Array of Ionospheric Research Satellites Using the CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (MARS-CAT) mission also proposes to use solid iodine as the propellant to minimize storage volume. 1347:

uni-directionally through a hole in its chamber. A neutralising electron gun would produce a tiny amount of thrust with high specific impulse in the order of millions of seconds due to the high relativistic speed of alpha particles.

792:

is placed near the engine to emit electrons into the ion beam, leaving the propellant electrically neutral. This prevents the beam of ions from being attracted (and returning) to the spacecraft, which would cancel the thrust.

2300:(NSTAR) electrostatic ion thruster resulted in 30,472 hours (roughly 3.5 years) of continuous thrust at maximum power. Post-test examination indicated the engine was not approaching failure. NSTAR operated for years on 3134: 5811:

Rafalskyi, Dmytro; Martínez Martínez, Javier; Habl, Lui; Zorzoli Rossi, Elena; Proynov, Plamen; Boré, Antoine; Baret, Thomas; Poyet, Antoine; Lafleur, Trevor; Dudin, Stanislav; Aanesland, Ane (17 November 2021).

2911:. Since the available power from the ISS is less than 200 kW, the ISS VASIMR would have included a trickle-charged battery system allowing for 15 minutes pulses of thrust. The ISS orbits at a relatively 247:

Ion thrust engines are generally practical only in the vacuum of space as the engine's minuscule thrust cannot overcome any significant air resistance without radical design changes, as may be found in the

5021:

Szabo, J., Robin, M., Paintal, Pote, B., S., Hruby, V., "High Density Hall Thruster Propellant Investigations", 48th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, AIAA Paper 2012-3853, July

142:

in the cloud of ions after it has passed through the electrostatic grid, so the gas becomes neutral again and can freely disperse in space without any further electrical interaction with the thruster.

4897:

Rafalskyi, Dmytro; Martínez, Javier Martínez; Habl, Lui; Zorzoli Rossi, Elena; Proynov, Plamen; Boré, Antoine; Baret, Thomas; Poyet, Antoine; Lafleur, Trevor; Dudin, Stanislav; Aanesland, Ane (2021).

2456:, which depends on vehicle speed and exhaust speed. Some thrusters can vary exhaust speed in operation, but all can be designed with different exhaust speeds. At the lower end of specific impulse, 2346:

gas, as it is easy to ionize, has a reasonably high atomic number, is inert and causes low erosion. However, xenon is globally in short supply and expensive (approximately $ 3,000 per kg in 2021).

638: 863:

create the cathode are trapped by the magnetic field and held in place by their attraction to the anode. Some of the electrons spiral down towards the anode, circulating around the spike in a

6672: 288:

in 1911. The technique was recommended for near-vacuum conditions at high altitude, but thrust was demonstrated with ionized air streams at atmospheric pressure. The idea appeared again in

494: 2327:(AEPS) is expected to accumulate about 5,000 hours and the design aims to achieve a flight model that offers a half-life of at least 23,000 hours and a full life of about 50,000 hours. 997: 723:

that can be stored chemically in the propellants. Given the practical weight of suitable power sources, the acceleration from an ion thruster is frequently less than one-thousandth of

6642: 6292: 2221: 683:, but it is the most successful in practice to date. An ion drive would require two days to accelerate a car to highway speed in vacuum. The technical characteristics, especially 5877:

Both atomic and molecular iodine ions are accelerated by high-voltage grids to generate thrust, and a highly collimated beam can be produced with substantial iodine dissociation.

715:

imparted to the exhaust increases with the square of exhaust velocity while thrust increase is linear. Conversely, chemical rockets provide high thrust, but are limited in total

549: 443:

may be used. In each case, the power supply mass is proportional to the peak power that can be supplied, and both provide, for this application, almost no limit to the energy.

2786:

ion drive is capable of accelerating from 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 4 days of continuous firing. The mission ended on 1 November 2018, when the spacecraft ran out of

2539:

Ion thrusters are routinely used for station-keeping on commercial and military communication satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The Soviet Union pioneered this field, using

2441:

overall efficiency for a vehicle accelerating from rest as percentages of the engine efficiency. Note that peak vehicle efficiency occurs at about 1.6 times exhaust velocity.

765:

development started in the 1960s and, since then, they have been used for commercial satellite propulsion and scientific missions. Their main feature is that the propellant

727:. However, since they operate as electric (or electrostatic) motors, they convert a greater fraction of input power into kinetic exhaust power. Chemical rockets operate as 5381: 4674:"NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) Project Qualifi cation Propellant Throughput Milestone: Performance, Erosion, and Thruster Service Life Prediction After 450 kg" 2417:

design (and other plasma-based engines) are theoretically able to use practically any material for propellant. However, in current tests the most practical propellant is

1078:. This separation of the ionization and acceleration stages allows throttling of propellant flow, which then changes the thrust magnitude and specific impulse values. 2713:

experienced technical difficulties, in-flight reconfiguration allowed one of the four engines to be repaired and allowed the mission to successfully return to Earth.

4200:

liquid state and wicked up the needle shank to the tip where high electric fields deform the liquid and extract ions and accelerate them up to 130 km/s through 10 kV

2635: 1367:

at the correct wavelength from a solid-state emitter. It also permits lower energy and longer half-life sources which would be advantageous for a space application.

6663: 2664:, launched in 1998. This was the first use of electric propulsion as the interplanetary propulsion system on a science mission. Based on the NASA design criteria, 4144: 2950:

that provides power generation and propulsion capabilities. It is targeting launch on a commercial vehicle in January 2024. It would probably use the 50 kW

5775: 3806: 1197:, producing the 200 kW RF generators for ionizing propellant. Some of the components and "plasma shoots" experiments are tested in a laboratory settled in 1132:

in the prototype), but the magnetic field diverges and rapidly decreases in magnitude away from the source region and might be thought of as a kind of magnetic

4875: 3884: 5549:

Daniel A. Herman, Todd A. Tofil, Walter Santiago, Hani Kamhawi, James E. Polk, John S. Snyder, Richard R. Hofer, Frank Q. Picha, Jerry Jackson and May Allen.

2927:) would achieve the same acceleration with a smaller amount of propellant, compared to chemical propulsion with its lower exhaust velocity needing more fuel. 4652: 5205: 867:. When they reach the anode they impact the uncharged propellant and cause it to be ionized, before finally reaching the anode and completing the circuit. 4382: 6651: 6515: 6045: 3542: 5607: 5039:

Szabo, J.; Pote, B.; Paintal, S.; Robin, M.; Hillier, A.; Branam, R.; Huffman, R. (2012). "Performance Evaluation of an Iodine Vapor Hall Thruster".

6361: 5997: 5460: 4177: 970:(PITs) use pulses instead of continuous thrust and have the ability to run on power levels on the order of megawatts (MW). PITs consist of a large 330:(SERT-1). It successfully operated for the planned 31 minutes before falling to Earth. This test was followed by an orbital test, SERT-2, in 1970. 5168: 4684: 7412: 6710: 5530: 4852: 4556: 3717: 357:

satellites. Soviet thruster design was introduced to the West in 1992 after a team of electric propulsion specialists, under the support of the

203:

spacecraft, powered by an ion thruster, changed velocity by 4.3 km/s (2.7 mi/s) while consuming less than 74 kg (163 lb) of

7543: 7106: 5562: 3943:

J. S. Sovey, V. K. Rawlin, and M. J. Patterson, "Ion Propulsion Development Projects in U. S.: Space Electric Rocket Test 1 to Deep Space 1",

1266:

during the 1980s and 1990s, Martin C. Hawley and Jes Asmussen led a team of engineers in developing a microwave electrothermal thruster (MET).

1158: 1152: 389:

ratio of the ions. This ratio means that relatively small potential differences can create high exhaust velocities. This reduces the amount of

2531:

as the reaction mass. SERT-2A, launched on 4 February 1970, verified the operation of two mercury ion engines for thousands of running hours.

7224: 4763: 4594: 3699: 2817:– the low thrusts of these propulsion devices make it possible to move the spacecraft incremental distances accurately. It is a test for the 6639: 6296: 5411: 2463:, the overall efficiency drops because ionization takes up a larger percentage energy and at the high end propulsive efficiency is reduced. 6011: 5657: 2805:

spacecraft launched in 2015 to orbit the Sun-Earth L1 point. It does not use ion thrusters as its primary propulsion system, but uses both

6625: 2709:

to ionize the propellant and an erosion-resistant carbon/carbon-composite material for its acceleration grid. Although the ion engines on

326:

for propellant. Suborbital tests were conducted during the 1960s and in 1964, and the engine was sent into a suborbital flight aboard the

7838: 6845: 6352: 5502: 3402: 3094: 2655: 2297: 1419: 800: 590: 552: 37: 6213: 5229: 2752:'s surface, after a trajectory deviation so scientists could see the 3-meter crater the impact created on the visible side of the Moon. 4339: 4223: 4066: 3089: 2519:

suborbital flight was launched on 20 July 1964, and successfully proved that the technology operated as predicted in space. These were

2474:

Ion thrusters have many in-space propulsion applications. The best applications make use of the long mission interval when significant

1591: 929: 680: 585:). However, this acceleration can be sustained for months or years at a time, in contrast to the very short burns of chemical rockets. 224:(some satellites have dozens of low-power ion thrusters), use as a main propulsion engine for low-mass robotic space vehicles (such as 85: 5389: 6322: 5553:, NASA/TM—2018-219761 35th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, 8–12 October 2017, Accessed: 27 July 2018. 4039: 3755: 2445:

Ion thruster efficiency is the kinetic energy of the exhaust jet emitted per second divided by the electrical power into the device.

6137: 6118: 7122: 4983: 3220: 249: 4313: 3572: 3372: 3251: 2405:, on board the Beihangkongshi-1 mission launched in November 2020, with an extensive report published a year later in the journal 1285:, replaced with the flow of neutral species (FNS) towards the center. Meanwhile, energy is lost to the chamber walls through heat 1281:

to ionize. Excited species flow out (FES) through the low ion region (II) to a neutral region (III) where the ions complete their

5978: 3099: 2990:

proposed using an ion thruster powered by a space-based laser, in conjunction with a lightsail, to propel an interstellar probe.

1074:

and then transferred to another chamber where it is accelerated by an oscillating electric and magnetic field, also known as the

5073:

Szabo, J.; Robin, M.; Paintal, S.; Pote, B.; Hruby, V.; Freeman, C. (2015). "Iodine Plasma Propulsion Test Results at 1–10 kW".

4421: 3957: 3613: 3481: 7610: 6554: 5121: 358: 6615: 6461: 5318: 6269: 5931: 5283: 7828: 4108: 3084: 732: 5588: 4730: 3780: 2658:

ion engine for use in interplanetary science missions beginning in the late 1990s. It was space-tested in the space probe

7699: 7405: 6703: 6408: 3074: 2951: 2324: 1757: 4456: 2281:) for a particular mission. Ion thrusters are designed to provide continuous operation for intervals of weeks to years. 7027: 6164: 5892: 3324: 3214: 3182: 3164: 2818: 881: 876: 217:

of 11.5 km/s (7.1 mi/s), though it was only half as efficient, requiring 425 kg (937 lb) of xenon.

5461:"Destructive Physical Analysis of Hollow Cathodes from the Deep Space 1 Flight Spare Ion Engine 30,000 Hour Life Test" 4832: 4151: 2970:

The MARS-CAT (Mars Array of ionospheric Research Satellites using the CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster) mission is a two 6U

154:

to accelerate all species (free electrons as well as positive and negative ions) in the same direction whatever their

7101: 6496: 4868: 2277:

Ion thrusters' low thrust requires continuous operation for a long time to achieve the necessary change in velocity (

1224: 1209:, as part of the plan to test the VASIMR in space; however, plans for this test onboard ISS were canceled in 2015 by 1049: 3985:"Ion engine grids: Function, main parameters, issues, configurations, geometries, materials and fabrication methods" 3892: 4645: 2853: 2308: 1514: 4839:

2006-02-10 (Polk, Jay E., Goebel, Don, Brophy, John R., Beatty, John, Monheiser, J., Giles, D.) Scientific Commons

4407:""В Воронеже создали двигатель для Марса" в блоге "Перспективные разработки, НИОКРы, изобретения" - Сделано у нас" 2466:

Optimal efficiencies and exhaust velocities for any given mission can be calculated to give minimum overall cost.

788:

Ion thrusters emit a beam of positively charged ions. To keep the spacecraft from accumulating a charge, another

687:, are considerably inferior to the prototypes described in literature, technical capabilities are limited by the 449: 7843: 7398: 7127: 6992: 6696: 6070: 3023: 2355: 5202: 4389: 7760: 7726: 7538: 7231: 7086: 7055: 7050: 6188: 3530:

Cybulski, Ronald J.; Shellhammer, Daniel M.; Lovell, Robert R.; Domino, Edward J.; Kotnik, Joseph T. (1965).

2037: 2005: 1971: 1087: 1066: 1061: 993: 988: 6034: 5247: 3531: 7571: 2943: 2748:

to lunar orbit. This satellite completed its mission on 3 September 2006, in a controlled collision on the

2745: 2706: 1781: 6523: 6344: 7848: 4037: 2901: 2814: 2590: 2479: 1206: 305: 5681:"Among other enhancements, V2 minis are equipped with new argon Hall thrusters for on orbit maneuvering" 5550: 5467: 5161: 4809: 4673: 4184: 503: 7774: 7731: 7667: 6634: 5758:"Spacety launches satellite to test ThrustMe iodine electric propulsion and constellation technologies" 5523: 3617: 3373:"配置4台霍尔电推进发动机 "天宫"掀起太空动力变革 [Hall-effect thruster for Tiangong set off space drive revolution ]" 2934:

NASA previously worked on a 50 kW Hall-effect thruster for the ISS, but work was stopped in 2005.

2520: 2508: 1521: 1290: 4848: 4560: 3573:"Innovative Engines – Glenn Ion Propulsion Research Tames the Challenges of 21st Century Space Travel" 7714: 7674: 7186: 7045: 5960:"Spaceflight Now | Atlas Launch Report | AEHF 2 communications satellite keeps on climbing" 5551:

Overview of the Development and Mission Application of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS)

3725: 2681: 1071: 967: 962: 49: 300:), where he explained his thoughts on the mass savings of electric propulsion, predicted its use in 260:. For these reasons, spacecraft must rely on other methods such as conventional chemical rockets or 7576: 7533: 7528: 7436: 7219: 6978: 6952: 6894: 6878: 6868: 4575: 4574:

Polk J, Kakuda R, Anderson J, Brophy J, Rawlin V, Patterson M, Sovey J, Hamley J (8 January 2001).

3119: 3109: 3059: 3013: 2677: 2388:, show promise both for gridless designs such as Hall-effect thrusters, and gridded ion thrusters. 2264: 908: 859:

picking up electrons as they leave to neutralize the beam and leave the thruster at high velocity.

159: 7151: 6100: 5419: 3807:"Electric propulsion for satellites and spacecraft: Established technologies and novel approaches" 1205:(CRC-USA). A 200 kW VASIMR test engine was in discussion to be fitted in the exterior of the 1120:

emitted by the antenna causes the gas to break down and form a plasma. The antenna then excites a

190:

65–80% though experimental versions have achieved 100 kW (130 hp), 5 N (1.1 lb

7679: 7652: 7513: 7495: 7275: 7248: 7203: 7191: 7171: 6937: 6899: 6873: 4623: 3104: 2920: 2738: 2673: 2608: 2554:

in 2010–2012) used the ion thruster to change orbit after the chemical-propellant engine failed.

1178: 337:

carried out tests with ion thrusters that had been attached to the exterior of the spacecraft.

7689: 7684: 7657: 7458: 7326: 7176: 7076: 6818: 6622: 2581: 440: 285: 261: 241: 6246: 5222: 3703: 3410: 1202: 7615: 7505: 7421: 6911: 6904: 6719: 6220: 4038:

Australian National University Space Plasma, Power & Propulsion Group (6 December 2006).

3859: 3129: 2955: 2728: 2696: 2453: 1749: 1725: 1263: 1139: 1037: 378: 319: 301: 187: 89: 5212:, Tim Glover, Future in Space Operations (FISO) Colloquium, 2011-01-19, accessed 2011-01-31. 4346: 4230: 4073: 2860:

xenon ion thruster for about 1,000 hours to reach the target asteroid on 28 September 2022.

2563:

used a chemical engine to raise perigee to 16,330 km (10,150 mi) and proceeded to

1020:(LEO) can be used as a propellant. The gas enters the main chamber where it is ionized into 1000:(LiLFA) thrusters use roughly the same idea. The LiLFA thruster builds on the MPD thruster. 555:

thruster producing a thrust force of 92 mN will accelerate a satellite with a mass of 1

7833: 7662: 7625: 7605: 7022: 7017: 6921: 6835: 6587: 5825: 5793: 5723: 5684: 5082: 4914: 4520: 4281: 3818: 3506: 3290: 2770: 2669: 2612: 2564: 2540: 2449: 2429: 2398: 1282: 1117: 971: 855: 842: 785:

respectively) to the final ion energy of (typically) 1–2 keV, which generates thrust.

762: 749: 446:

Electric thrusters tend to produce low thrust, which results in low acceleration. Defining

341: 28: 4784: 4043: 8: 7719: 7694: 7566: 7473: 7181: 7166: 7081: 6968: 6947: 6916: 6607:

Colorado State University Electric Propulsion & Plasma Engineering (CEPPE) Laboratory

6134: 5563:

Aerojet Rocketdyne Signs Contract to Develop Advanced Electric Propulsion System for NASA

4646:"The NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT): the next step for US deep space propulsion" 2869: 2547: 1491: 1198: 1075: 807: 777: 68:

A prototype of a xenon ion engine being tested at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2005)

5829: 5727: 5630: 5086: 4918: 4524: 4285: 3914: 3830: 3822: 3294: 3199: 1052:

successfully conducted a bench test of their MPD engine for long-distance space travel.

758:

A diagram of how a gridded electrostatic ion engine (multipole magnetic cusp type) works

7812: 7736: 7380: 7346: 7311: 6682: 6611: 5867: 5854: 5813: 5098: 4973: 4935: 4898: 4305: 4266: 3834: 3576: 3455: 3380: 3244: 3032: 2987: 2959: 2585: 1286: 1092:

A helicon double layer thruster is a type of plasma thruster that ejects high velocity

5945: 4178:"In-FEEP Thruster Ion Beam Neutralization with Thermionic and Field Emission Cathodes" 3302: 1700: 7375: 7341: 7296: 7196: 7096: 6798: 6772: 6457: 6345:"Report No. IG-21-004: NASA's Management of the Gateway Program for Artemis Missions" 5871: 5859: 5841: 5757: 5739: 4997: 4940: 4538: 4428: 4297: 3961: 3621: 3474: 3459: 3447: 3306: 3210: 3178: 3160: 2760: 2524: 2350: 2335: 2189: 1455: 1278: 1121: 936: 829: 716: 703:

is approximately equal to the weight of one sheet of paper) compared to conventional

323: 312: 233: 208: 19:

This article is about a kind of reaction engine. For the air propulsion concept, see

6569: 5909: 5129: 5102: 4383:"Utilization of Ambient Gas as a Propellant for Low Earth Orbit Electric Propulsion" 4016: 3838: 381:. The method of accelerating the ions varies, but all designs take advantage of the 7800: 7704: 7620: 7523: 7361: 7351: 7301: 7007: 6760: 5849: 5833: 5731: 5325:. University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Archived from 5223:"VASIMR® Spaceflight Engine System Mass Study and Scaling with Power IEPC-2013-149" 5090: 5048: 4930: 4922: 4586: 4533: 4528: 4508: 4309: 4289: 3996: 3826: 3437: 3298: 3079: 3028: 2924: 2916: 2837: 2806: 2665: 2491: 2407: 1806: 1396: 1297:(Rad). The remaining energy absorbed into the gaseous propellant is converted into 1021: 724: 708: 672: 497: 413: 402: 174: 170: 147: 121: 5680: 5326: 6973: 6777: 6743: 6681:

An early experimental ion engine is on display at the Aerospace Discovery at the

6646: 6629: 6141: 5896: 5711: 5291: 5209: 4856: 4836: 3114: 3001:

By Aeroplane to the Sun: Being the Adventures of a Daring Aviator and his Friends

2976: 2912: 2798: 2487: 1113: 1105: 1017: 712: 704: 398: 394: 382: 155: 4719: 4112: 711:, or propellant mass efficiency, by accelerating the exhaust to high speed. The 7709: 7483: 7478: 7306: 7241: 6942: 6782: 6096: 5837: 5443:"Space nuclear propulsion systems are now possible only in Russia (In Russian)" 5203:

VASIMR VX-200 Performance and Near-term SEP Capability for Unmanned Mars Flight

4926: 4624:"NASA's NEXT ion thruster runs five and a half years nonstop to set new record" 4224:"Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT): Modeling and Validation Using the MACH2 Code" 3124: 2841: 2483: 1371:

backfill has also been suggested as a way to increase electron mean free path.

1360: 1352: 1310: 1170: 1125: 409: 289: 166: 135: 127: 117: 6416: 5959: 4576:"Performance of the NSTAR ion propulsion system on the Deep Space One mission" 4001: 3984: 7822: 7788: 7741: 7453: 7316: 7236: 7091: 7060: 6840: 6830: 6825: 6748: 6738: 6430: 6175: 6151: 5845: 5743: 5635: 5489: 5190: 5140: 5094: 4705: 4496:. Vol. 128, no. 48. Owosso, Michigan. 26 February 1982. p. 10. 4368: 4252: 4209: 4095: 3640: 3595: 3556: 3517: 3451: 2947: 2702: 2284:

The lifetime of electrostatic ion thrusters is limited by several processes.

2152: 1778: 1174: 1042: 428: 421: 390: 345: 237: 151: 131: 64: 5889: 4293: 3653: 431:

to accelerate the ions in the direction perpendicular to the electric field.

322:

facilities. It was similar to a gridded electrostatic ion thruster and used

7645: 7488: 7468: 7445: 7321: 7280: 7253: 6808: 6803: 6477: 6388: 6117:

Nishiyama, Kazutaka; Hosoda, Satoshi; Tsukizaki, Ryudo; Kuninaka, Hitoshi.

5863: 5810: 4944: 4830:

An overview of the Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) program (2006)

4829: 4683:, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States: NASA - Glenn Research Center, 4542: 4301: 3475:"A Critical History of Electric Propulsion: The First 50 Years (1906–1956)" 3310: 2775: 2660: 1449: 1344: 811: 688: 349: 199: 45: 6606: 5608:"This Silicon Valley Space Startup Could Lace the Atmosphere With Mercury" 3680: 2844:

to get to Mercury, where a chemical rocket will complete orbit insertion.

1146: 1016:

can be used as propellant. In a certain configuration, the ambient gas in

7640: 7635: 7463: 7336: 7331: 7137: 6550: 5248:"New Space Engine Could Turn Tiny CubeSats into Interplanetary Explorers" 4998:"Status of Advanced Electric Propulsion Systems for Exploration Missions" 4492:"Less Fuel, More Thrust: New Engines are Being Designed for Deep Space". 3039: 2833: 2623:

to raise orbit, perform maneuvers, and de-orbit at the end of their use.

1364: 1162: 1124:

in the plasma, which further heats it. The device has a roughly constant

895: 864: 728: 436: 220:

Applications include control of the orientation and position of orbiting

109: 56: 7390: 6688: 5442: 3343: 699:

of the engine). Ion thrusters create small thrust levels (the thrust of

162:, where the electric field is not in the direction of the acceleration. 7600: 7550: 7356: 6813: 6012:"SpaceX reveals more Starlink info after launch of first 60 satellites" 5979:"Three Decades in the Making, China's Space Station Launches This Week" 5658:"SpaceX reveals more Starlink info after launch of first 60 satellites" 5565:

Aerojet Rocketdyne Press release, 28 April 2016 Accessed: 27 July 2018.

4590: 4340:"High Power MPD Thruster Development at the NASA Glenn Research Center" 4267:"A Survey of Propulsion Options for Cargo and Piloted Missions to Mars" 3442: 3425: 2719:, launched in 2014, was based on Hayabusa. It also used ion thrusters. 2490:, fine adjustments for scientific missions and cargo transport between 1166: 766: 654: 559: 5735: 5159: 4067:"Advanced Hall Electric Propulsion for Future In-Space Transportation" 3245:"Choueiri, Edgar Y., (2009) New dawn of electric rocket The Ion Drive" 7630: 5252: 5052: 4472: 3054: 3043: 2877: 2787: 2716: 2369:

internet satellites, in part due to its lower cost than conventional

1294: 1270: 334: 284:

The first person who wrote a paper introducing the idea publicly was

221: 20: 6074: 5710:

Grondein, P.; Lafleur, T.; Chabert, P.; Aanesland, A. (March 2016).

5162:"Performance and Lifetime Assessment of MPD Arc Thruster Technology" 4406: 2900:

electromagnetic thruster was under consideration for testing on the

2701:

space probe was launched in 2003 and rendezvoused with the asteroid

847: 276: 6623:

Choueiri, Edgar Y. (2009) New dawn of electric rocket The Ion Drive

6071:"小惑星探査機はやぶさ搭載イオンエンジン (Ion Engines used on Asteroid Probe Hayabusa)" 4720:"Status of NASA's NEXT-C Ion Propulsion System Development Project" 4509:"Revisiting alpha decay-based near-light-speed particle propulsion" 4477: 3682:

Challenge To Apollo: The Soviet Union and The Space Race, 1945–1974

3325:"NASA's new ion thruster breaks records, could take humans to Mars" 2928: 2741: 2605: 2402: 2366: 1976: 1464: 1356: 1129: 1109: 1013: 1001: 769:

process is physically separated from the ion acceleration process.

97: 16:

Spacecraft engine that generates thrust by generating a jet of ions

4896: 4176:

Marrese-Reading, Colleen; Polk, Jay; Mueller, Juergen; Owens, Al.

2931:

is generated by the ISS as a by-product and is vented into space.

7783: 7132: 6765: 6293:"Commercially Developed Plasma Engine Soon to be Tested in Space" 6174: