Reducing Risk for the Next Generations

It is the goal of this activity to develop 50 kW class Hall thruster technology in support of cost and time critical mission applications such as orbit insertion. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is tasked to develop technologies that enable cost and travel time reduction of interorbital transportation. Therefore, a key challenge is development of moderate specific impulse (2000-3000 s), high thrust-to-power electric propulsion. NASA Glenn Research Center is responsible for development of a Hall propulsion system to meet these needs. First-phase, sub-scale Hall engine development has been completed, the 10 kW engine designed, fabricated, and tested. Performance demonstrated > 2400 s, > 500 mN thrust over 1000 hrs of operation documented.