Ring-cusp ion thrustersThe high performance ion thruster technology presented is suitable for either geostationary satellite north-south stationkeeping or interplanetary spacecraft primary propulsion. The thruster employs a ring-cusp magnetic field arrangement for plasma confinement, incurring an ion production cost which at about 100 eV/ion, is approximately half the value for the state-of-the-art J-series mercury ion thruster. A comparison of the average plasma properties existing within the ion-production volumes indicates that the improved performance of the ring-cusp configuration is due to higher electron temperature, confirming the superiority of this design in confining the energetic electrons emitted by the cathode.
Document ID
19850034287
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Beattie, J. R. (Hughes Research Labs. Malibu, CA, United States)
Poeschel, R. L. (Hughes Research Laboratories Malibu, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1984
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Electric Propulsion Conference
Location: Tokyo
Country: Japan
Start Date: May 28, 1984
End Date: May 31, 1984
Sponsors: Japan Society for Areonautical and Space Sciences, AIAA, and DGLR