2013 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 1_37-1_47
In 1980, the first generation Japanese 1N thruster was developed by JAXA (NASDA at the time) and IHI Aerospace (IHI at the time), the design of which was based on the US TRW 1970s design. More than 180 thrusters have been loaded on the NASDA–JAXA satellites for over 25 years. But the satellite mass and life time have been extended since then, therefore the old 1N thruster didn’t satisfy the life requirement of Japanese satellites mission completely. After extensive basic research, the development program of new 1N thruster started in 2009. We tried to overcome the disadvantages of the old 1N thruster and fundamentally change the design. In the development of the new long life 1N thruster, the qualification test program was successfully completed. In the QT firing tests, over 200,000Nsec and 850,000 pulses (it means over 100kg throughput of hydrazine) were achieved and the long life of the thruster was demonstrated. Also in the ΔQT firing tests, the relationship between the thruster life and its firing mode were unveiled by eleven PM thrusters. The new long life 1N thruster is now ready to deliver.
