Abstract
In Hall thruster R&D, high thrust, high thrust efficiency and long operating lifetime are required for future space missions of In-Space Missions such as manned Mars exploration and transportation in the Solar System, and 1 GW-class solar power satellite construction. However, current Hall thrusters do not satisfy all requirements. Therefore, Hall thrusters are required to improve their performances. In this study, the performances of Magnetic-Layer-Type (Stationary Plasma Thruster: SPT-type) Hall thrusters were investigated in high electric-power and high specific-impulse operational ranges. Performance measurements were performed at Osaka Sangyo University (OSU) and Japanese Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA). The SPT-type Hall thrusters THT-VI, developed at OSU, achieved thrust efficiencies above 60% and specific impulses of 2,000-3,500 sec with discharge voltages of 300-1,000 V and input electric powers of 1-5 kW. The performances could satisfy the final target of performance. In addition, in order to improve performance, it is necessary to understand plasma features inside the discharge channel and to predict the performance. Therefore, numerical calculation using two-dimensional Hybrid-PIC model was carried out. The calculated performances roughly agreed with measured ones. The optimum plasma acceleration process was also suggested.
