Operation Characteristics of 5-kW Class RAIJIN Hall Thruster

Abstract

A Hall thruster system for in-space propulsion has been developed as a part of a Japanese collaborative research and development project aiming at practical use of a high power anode layer type Hall thruster. Its thrust was measured at the ISAS/JAXA vacuum chamber facilities using a dual-pendulum thrust stand developed at the University of Tokyo. In the low specific impulse mode operation, thrust efficiency of 64% and thrust to power ratio of 80mN/kW were achieved. In the high specific impulse mode operation, the thruster was successfully operated at the acceleration voltage of up to 1,000V.