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High power solar electric propulsion

High Power Advanced Solar Electric Propulsion

-Design, preparation, and execution of the high power, long-duration tests -Facilities capable of long duration testing of high power systems are a challenge. -May require investment for advancing the state of the art. •Milestone test status:

Xenon Acquisition Strategies for High-Power Electric

Solar Electric Propulsion has represented about 10% of xenon market over past 20 years, but trends in propulsion and lighting may make propulsion a larger portion of the market in the future • Global xenon production is 53,000kg annually When demand exceeds supply, xenon market prices spike until the market can respond

Journey to a Metal-Rich World: NASA''s Psyche Is

Psyche''s efficient solar electric propulsion system works by accelerating and expelling charged atoms, or ions, of the neutral gas xenon – creating a thrust that will gently push the spacecraft on a journey of nearly six

Gridded Ion Thrusters (NEXT-C) | Glenn Research Center | NASA

NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Application Readiness (NSTAR) Ion Thruster. The NASA Solar Technology Application Readiness (NSTAR) program provided a single string, primary IPS to the Deep Space 1 spacecraft. The 30-cm ion thruster operates over a 0.5 kW to 2.3 kW input power range providing thrust from 19 mN to 92 mN.

High Power Electric Propulsion

High Power Electric Propulsion (HiPEP) is a variation of ion thruster for use in nuclear electric propulsion applications. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] It was ground-tested in 2003 by NASA and was intended for use on the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, which was canceled in 2005.

Pushing the Limits of Sub-Kilowatt Electric Propulsion

Therefore, the #1 enabling technology for these small spacecraft missions is an electric propulsion system that can execute these high-delta-v maneuvers. The propulsion system must operate using low power (sub

Solar electric propulsion systems could be just what we need for

Citation: Solar electric propulsion systems could be just what we need for efficient trips to Mars (2024 Image: High-power thruster qualification testing for Gateway. Nov 2, 2023.

Solar Electric Propulsion Makes NASA''s Psyche Spacecraft Go

Both teams hope that Psyche, by using Hall thrusters for the first time beyond lunar orbit, will help push the limits of solar electric propulsion. "Solar electric propulsion technology delivers the right mix of cost savings, efficiency, and power and could play an important role in supporting future science missions to Mars and beyond

NASA''s Psyche Mission on Track for Liftoff Next Month

Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. A technology demonstration called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) will fly on Psyche in order to test high-data-rate laser communications that could be used by future NASA missions. JPL manages DSOC for the Technology

COST REDUCTIONS AND FUEL EFFICIENCY: HIGH

HIGH-POWER SOLAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION IN SPACE . Joshua P. Davis, John P. Mayberry, and Jay P. Penn . Technological progress in space propulsion and space power will disrupt the traditional paradigm of spacecraft design, acquisition, launch, and operations. Electric propulsion systems will replace some or

Technology Demonstration Mission Solar Electric Propulsion

SEP Project The SEP Project includes the following activities •Develop, manufacture, and qualify high-power (12 kW) next generation electric propulsion thruster for space flight system integration •Mature manufacturing processes to enable a commercially available high-power (12 kW) electric propulsion thruster

Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) Enabling a

High-power solar electric propulsion is one of the key technologies that has been prioritized because of its significant exploration benefits, specifically, for missions beyond low Earth orbit. Spacecraft size and mass are currently dominated by onboard chemical propulsion systems and propellants that may constitute more than 50 percent of

Low-thrust trajectory design for near-Earth asteroid supply

This paper presents the low-thrust (LT) trajectory design for near-Earth asteroid (NEA) supply delivery and resource transportation mission using high-power Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP). NEA low-thrust roundtrip accessibility is investigated through a numerical approach and new knowledge of the mass transportation capability of SEP systems

Solar Electric Propulsion for Future NASA Missions

Use of high-power solar arrays, at power levels ranging from ~500 KW to several megawatts, has been proposed as the power source for solar-electric propulsion (SEP) missions [1-4]. The current plan for the In this propulsion system, high-power photovoltaic arrays provide energy''s to a xenon-fueled electrical engine.

Space Solar Power Station Ultra-high-power Electric

NASA has launched the high-power Solar Electric Propulsion Program (SEP) since 2012, and its Glenn Research Center (GRC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are responsible for 12.5 kW Hall thruster and PPU-related technology development, and will open the 40-kW class SEP development. Due to changing requirements and design

Pushing the Limits of Sub-Kilowatt Electric Propulsion

Therefore, the #1 enabling technology for these small spacecraft missions is an electric propulsion system that can execute these high-delta-v maneuvers. The propulsion system must operate using low power (sub-kilowatt) and have high-propellant throughput (i.e., the capability to use a high total mass of propellant over its lifetime) to enable

Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Development for

• Robust operation at high voltage near thruster plasma. High Power Electronic Parts • High voltage, high power, low losses, radiation tolerant. Power Processing Units • High voltage, high power. Hall Effect Thrusters • Long life, high throughput, high power. Solar Electric Propulsion Technologies: Challenges to extend to very high

High-Power Solar Electric Propulsion for Future NASA Missions

NASA has sought to utilize high-power solar electric propulsion as means of improving the affordability of in-space transportation for almost 50 years. Early efforts focused on 25 to 50 kilowatt systems that could be used with the Space Shuttle, while later efforts focused on systems nearly an order of magnitude higher power that could be used with heavy lift launch

NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne Put Gateway Thruster System to the

High-power electric propulsion is critical for future crewed transportation systems that will be key in helping NASA explore more of deep space beyond the Moon, the engineers say. NASA''s high-power solar electric propulsion development work is managed by NASA Glenn under the direction of the agency''s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

COST REDUCTIONS AND FUEL EFFICIENCY: HIGH

High-Power Solar Electric Propulsion (HPSEP) Source: NASA Demonstration Phase • 2016 Boeing 702SP spacecraft – used all electric propulsion for GTO to GEO orbit raising. • Deployable Space System''s (DSS) Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) demonstrated on board the ISS.

NASA Thruster Achieves World-Record 5+ Years of Operation

The NEXT engine is a type of solar electric propulsion in which thruster systems use the electricity generated by the spacecraft''s solar panel to accelerate the xenon propellant to speeds of up to 90,000 mph. "NASA-developed next generation high power solar electric propulsion systems will enhance our nation''s ability to perform

High Power Solar Electric Propulsion Impact on Human Mars

The 35th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA October 8 – 12, 2017 1 High Power Solar Electric Propulsion Impact on Human Mars Mission Architecture IEPC-2017-531 Presented at the 35th International Electric Propulsion Conference Georgia Institute of Technology • Atlanta, Georgia • USA

NASA Unveils Game-Changing Electric Propulsion

Therefore, the #1 enabling technology for these small spacecraft missions is an electric propulsion system that can execute these high-delta-v maneuvers. The propulsion system must operate using low power (sub-kilowatt) and have high-propellant throughput (i.e., the capability to use a high total mass of propellant over its lifetime) to enable

NASA Works to Improve Solar Electric Propulsion for Deep Space

This work will directly complement recent advanced solar array systems work, also funded by STMD. NASA anticipates the electrical power to operate this advanced electric propulsion flight system in space will be generated by solar arrays using structures similar to those that were developed under the solar array systems contracts.

Perspectives on the success of electric propulsion

The Comet Haley Rendezvous mission study included a shoot-out between high-power solar electric propulsion and large solar sails. The SEP system proposed the use of an array of ten mercury ion thrusters with an Isp of 4750

Overview of NASA''s Solar Electric Propulsion Project

NASA is continuing to develop and qualify a state of the art 13 kW-class Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) for NASA exploration missions through a contract with Aerojet Rocketdyne (AR). An objective of the AEPS project is accelerate the adoption of high power electric propulsion technologies by reducing the risk and uncertainty of integrating Solar

Overview of NASA''s Solar Electric Propulsion Project

is baselined to include two 13-kW Advanced Electric Propulsion Systems (AEPS) and four 6-kW Hall thrusters, currently under development by Maxar, for a total beginning of life propulsion power of over 60-kW [4]. High-power solar electric propulsion is one of the key technologies that has been prioritized because of its

Solar Electric Propulsion | Glenn Research Center

Learn how NASA is developing and demonstrating solar electric propulsion (SEP) technologies for cost-effective and efficient space missions. SEP uses solar arrays, Hall thrusters, and gridded ion thrusters to propel

A Powerhouse in Deep Space: Gateway''s Power and Propulsion

As astronauts live and work on Gateway to enable sustained exploration and research in deep space, their efforts will be made possible by Gateway''s Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). A foundational component of the lunar outpost and the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown, PPE will provide Gateway with power and allow it to maintain its

ESA Science & Technology

The use of solar panels to supply power to an electric propulsion system is referred to as solar electric propulsion (SEP). Future missions, operating at high power levels or at great distances from the Sun will require an alternative source of power. If the safety concerns can be addressed, power could be provided by a nuclear electric power

High power solar electric propulsion
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