https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?

R=20180007179 2019-10-15T15:53:26+00:00Z

ELECTRIC PROPULSION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AT NASA

George Schmidt
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
[email protected]

David Jacobson and Michael Patterson

NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
[email protected] and [email protected]

Gani Ganapathi, John Brophy and Richard Hofer

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
[email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]

Electric propulsion (EP) is an important technology for NASA. It has already played a major role on three
missions, namely Deep Space 1, Dawn and Space Technology 7, and it is planned for use on many more. The ion
propulsion system for the ongoing Dawn mission has achieved several notable accomplishments, including providing
a total velocity change (∆V) of over 11 km/s to the spacecraft. As a result of these successes, solar electric
propulsion (SEP) is now broadly recognized as an essential technology for both robotic and human exploration.
NASA is currently conducting many projects focused on research and development of EP for a variety of
applications. All three of NASA’s mission directorates that deal directly with space exploration are actively engaged
in supporting work in this area. This paper describes these projects in more detail, including the specific engineering
activities being conducted at NASA’s main centers for EP technology development, namely Glenn Research Center
(GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

I. INTRODUCTION Hall thruster system project that was started in 2002

[3]. The focus now is on development of a flexible
The fact that three of NASA’s four mission 4.5 kW prototype PPU capable of operating with
directorates are supporting EP research and several different NASA and commercially available
development testifies to the agency’s strong interest Hall thrusters.
in this technology. These include the Science HEOMD has several EP technology development
Mission Directorate (SMD), the Human Exploration projects underway as part of the Advanced
and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD). and Exploration Systems (AES) program. The NextSTEP
the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). project is supporting work on three high power EP
A summary of NASA’s EP technology development technologies, which could ultimately evolve for use
activities in 2018, broken down by Mission on crewed transportation systems to Mars and other
Directorate, is shown in Table 1. destinations. These include: Aerojet Rocketdyne’s
SMD conducts a wide range of robotic planetary XR-100 Nested Hall Thruster [4]; Ad Astra’s
science missions and supports EP technology VAriable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket
development because of its potential to provide (VASIMR) [5]; and MSNW’s Electrodeless Lorentz
significant benefits for future deep-space and Force (ELF) Thruster [6]. The AES program is also
astrophysics applications. SMD’s current focus is on supporting development of the Morehead State
flight development of NASA’s Evolutionary Xenon University (MSU) Lunar IceCube mission [7], which
Thruster - Commercial (NEXT-C) [1]. This project’s will utilize Busek Co. Inc.’s BIT-3 Radiofrequency
goal is to develop and flight qualify two ion (RF) Ion thruster [8].
thruster/power processing unit (PPU) strings, based A significant number of NASA’s EP projects are
on the NEXT technology development work conducted by programs within NASA’s Space
completed in 2012. NEXT-C hardware is being Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). Most
considered for multiple science missions including prominent of these is the Advanced Electric
the Double Asteroid and Redirection Test (DART) Propulsion System (AEPS), which is developing and
mission led by the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) flight qualifying a 13.3-kW string consisting of the
[2]. SMD is also continuing to support the HiVHAc thruster, PPU, and Xenon Flow Controller (XFC) [9].

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The AEPS system is intended for use as the main Element (PPE) of the Gateway crew-tended cislunar
propulsion system for the Power and Propulsion orbital station [10].

Table. 1 NASA’s Electric Propulsion Development Activities

Mission Directorate Activity Mission Application
Science Mission Directorate NEXT-C (7-kW gridded ion thruster/PPU) Deep-space robotic science
(SMD)
HiVHAc (4.5-kW Hall thruster/PPU) Deep-space robotic science

Colloid Thruster/PPU Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

(LISA)

Human Exploration and NextSTEP (thruster/PPU) Human exploration missions beyond

Operations Mission Directorate • XR-100 Nested Hall Thruster low-Earth orbit
(HEOMD) • VASIMR
• Electrodeless Lorentz Force (ELF)

BIT-3 Radiofrequency ion thruster/PPU Lunar IceCube Mission

Space Technology Mission Advanced Electric Propulsion System Power and Propulsion Element (PPE)
Directorate (STMD) (AEPS): 13.3-kW Hall thruster/PPU string of the Lunar Orbital Platform—
Gateway (LOP-G)

Advanced In-Space Propulsion (AISP)— Deep-space robotic science using

Iodine-fueled EP thrusters small spacecraft

Small spacecraft technologies Deep-space robotic science using

• Electrospray thrusters/PPU small spacecraft
• Small iodine Hall thrusters/PPU
• Sub-Kilowatt Electric Propulsion
(SKEP): 500-W Hall thruster/PPU
•
SBIR/STTR Multiple EP Technologies Multiple mission applications

Under STMD’s Game Changing Program, the

Advanced In-space Propulsion (AISP) Iodine project
[11] is systematically advancing iodine EP
technology across a wide range of components and
subsystems. This activity is focused on risk
reduction for future missions that may potentially
benefit from the use of iodine-propelled EP systems.
STMD’s Small Spacecraft Technology Program is
also funding work on several EP technologies
including electrospray propulsion and small Iodine
Hall EP systems.

II. CURRENT AND FUTURE M ISSIONS

NASA’s most visible current application of EP is

the Dawn mission [12]. The Dawn spacecraft (shown
in Fig. 1) was launched in September 2007 with the Figure 1: Dawn spacecraft pre-integration
objective of exploring Vesta and Ceres, the two most
massive bodies in the main asteroid belt. Dawn is the first attempt at orbiting a main-belt
asteroid and the first mission to orbit two planetary
bodies with a single spacecraft. The capability to

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perform this mission was enabled by its gridded ion The ST-7 system was the culmination of work
propulsion system (IPS). Dawn entered Vesta’s orbit that originally started in 1998 through a NASA Phase
in July 2011, and completed a 14-month survey I SBIR involving Busek and JPL. Following
before leaving for Ceres in late 2012. It entered successful demonstration of colloid thruster
Ceres’ orbit in March 2015, where it remains to this performance in flight on ST-7, the challenge now is
day. Dawn has completed one operational extension to demonstrate that the thrusters have sufficient
to its baseline mission, and is currently executing its lifetime to meet LISA requirements. JPL, Busek and
second extension, which involves approximately UCLA are supported to perform this work from July
three months of operations in a low resonant orbit. 2017 to the end of September 2022.
The Dawn IPS utilizes the NASA-developed In addition to operational missions, NASA is in
NSTAR thruster technology, which first flew on the the formulation phase of several missions which
Deep Space 1 mission from 1998 to 2001 [13]. The would utilize EP. The competitively-selected Psyche
Dawn IPS consists of three thrusters operating one at mission, currently in Phase B, is one of two mission
a time. The system has accumulated record-breaking concepts selected by SMD’s Discovery program. It
statistics for an onboard propulsion system. The is a JPL-managed orbiter mission that seeks to
spacecraft has amassed over 50,000 hours of ion explore the metallic asteroid Psyche [16]. It
engine thrusting and delivered over 11 km/s of V to originally had a planned launch in 2023 as the 14th
the spacecraft, which is greater than the V provided Discovery mission. But in May 2017, the scheduled
by the launch vehicle used to deploy the probe into launch date was moved up to target a more efficient
space. trajectory, launching in 2022 and arriving in 2026
NASA participated in the LISA Pathfinder with a Mars gravity assist in 2023. The baseline
mission, which was led by the European Space Psyche spacecraft uses the SPT-140 Hall thruster
Agency (ESA) [14]. Launched in December 2015, system integrated into a commercially-available
the mission tested technologies needed for the Laser Space Systems Loral (SSL) bus.
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), an ESA-led Another future mission concept is the Double
gravitational wave observatory planned for launch in Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) [17], which would
2034 [15]. LISA Pathfinder’s scientific phase started demonstrate the kinetic effects of crashing an
in March 2016 and lasted almost sixteen months. In impactor spacecraft into an asteroid moon, and thus
April 2016, ESA announced that LISA Pathfinder test whether a spacecraft impact could successfully
successfully demonstrated that the LISA mission was deflect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth.
feasible. LISA Pathfinder carried a European DART is directly funded by the Planetary Defense
Technology Package comprising inertial sensors, Coordination Office of SMD . John Hopkins
interferometer and associated instrumentation, as Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) manages the
well as two drag-free control systems: a European mission, which would demonstrate a kinetic impact
unit using cold gas micro-thrusters, and a U.S.-built on the binary asteroid Didymos. The baseline
Space Technology 7 (ST-7) Disturbance Reduction spacecraft concept utilizes a single NEXT-C
System (DRS) using European sensors and a cluster thruster/PPU string. The Preliminary Design Review
of micronewton colloid thrusters (shown in Fig. 2) (PDR) for the mission was held on 10-12 April 2018,
[14]. with a planned launch readiness date in 2022.
Another mission which is still in the early concept
definition phase (Phase A) is the Comet Astrobiology
Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) mission [18].
This proposed sample-return mission to comet
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was one of two
finalists selected by the New Frontiers program in
SMD for further concept development. If selected
after July 2019, it would launch between 2024 and
2025, with a capsule delivering a sample to Earth in
2038. The mission is managed by Goddard Space
Flight Center (GSFC). The spacecraft would employ
three NEXT-C/PPU strings in a 2 + 1 operational
configuration (two thrusters operating with one
employed as a spare).
Figure 2: LISA Pathfinder ST-7 DRS
The highest power mission application of EP
currently planned by NASA would be for the
Gateway crew-tended cislunar orbital station (shown

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in Fig. 3). This a concept for an international crew- development test and fabrication/assembly of the
tended cislunar space station involving NASA, ESA, thrusters, along with overall integrated system
Roscosmos, JAXA and CSA. The Gateway would testing. ZIN Technologies is responsible for the
serve as a staging point for missions to the surface of development, fabrication, assembly, and test of the
the Moon and future crewed missions to Mars. It PPUs.
would consist of several elements, all incrementally The NEXT-C propulsion system is designed for
deployed and assembled in cislunar space. These SEP applications that must accommodate variable
include the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), a input power resulting from changes in solar range
small habitat for crew, a docking module, an airlock over the mission. The NEXT-C thruster (shown in
and logistics module. Fig. 4) has a nominal input power range of 0.5 to 6.9
kW, and utilizes 2-grid dished-out ion optics, capable
of producing thrust levels of 25 to 235 mN and
specific impulses (Isp) of 1,400 to 4,220 seconds (s).

Figure 3: Gateway with the Orion spacecraft

The first element to be deployed is the PPE,

which would provide primary propulsion for the
entire Gateway station. It is baselined to employ the Figure 4: NEXT-C thruster
13.3-kW Hall thruster strings being developed under
the AEPS project. Current plans call for launch of Following completion of the Preliminary Design
the PPE in 2020 on a commercial launch vehicle. It Review (PDR) in February 2016, NEXT-C
is envisioned that future Space Launch System (SLS) transitioned into its hardware development phase.
and Orion flights would carry up the remaining AR and ZIN Technologies used the designs from the
elements for integration in cislunar space. previous NEXT technology development phase as a
baseline and made modifications to improve
III. FLIGHT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT manufacturability and resolve residual issues with the
original design. The Critical Design Review (CDR)
III.I NEXT-C was successfully held in March 2018. The delivery
NASA’s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) is date for flight hardware to NASA is May 2019, to
a 7-kW class gridded ion thruster (shown in Fig. 4) enable support of the DART mission.
that was initially developed from 2002 to 2012 under
NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Technology Program to III.II AEPS
meet future science mission requirements. In 2014, Since 2012, NASA has been developing a 13.3-
GRC released a solicitation for the design, fabrication kW Hall thruster EP string to serve as the building
and test of two flight NEXT thrusters and PPUs, with block for a 40 kW-class SEP vehicle. In March
the expectation that these units would then be made 2017, NASA presented a new reference exploration
available as Government Furnished Equipment architecture at the HEOMD Committee of the NASA
(GFE) for a future NASA mission. In April 2015, Advisory Council meeting. The new architecture
Aerojet Rocketdyne (AR) and subcontractor ZIN was based on an evolutionary human exploration
Technologies were competitively selected for the strategy that focuses on flight testing and validation
contract, called the NEXT-Commercial (NEXT-C) of exploration capabilities in cislunar space prior to
project. Aerojet Rocketdyne is responsible for the conducting missions to Mars. An important aspect in
overall project management, systems engineering, achieving this goal was prioritizing the technologies

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best suited for such missions based on this stepping GRC, in partnership with JPL, is managing a
stone approach to exploration. High-power solar Phase III SBIR contract with Colorado Power
electric propulsion was one of those key Engineering (CPE) to develop, fabricate and test a
technologies. A high-power, 40 kW-class Hall TRL 6 Prototype Development Unit (PDU) PPU.
thruster propulsion system, along with flexible This PPU would be capable of operating at 4.5 kW
blanket solar array technology, represented a readily and be compatible with the NASA-developed
scalable technology with a clear path to much higher HiVHAc+ Hall thruster, SSL’s SPT-140 thruster and
power systems. Aerojet’s XR-5 Hall thruster. GRC will conduct
The 13.3-kW Hall thruster string development, integrated system testing with the HiVHAc+ thruster
led by GRC and JPL, began with maturation of the after PDU PPU delivery. The CDR for the PPU was
high-power Hall thruster (shown in Fig. 5) and PPU. completed in September 2017. The authority to
The technology development work transitioned to proceed with fabrication was given in January 2018.
Aerojet Rocketdyne via a competitive procurement PDU PPU testing will take place in late-2018, with
selection for the AEPS contract, which included the the plan to enable development of flight hardware in
development, qualification and delivery of multiple a follow-on or separately funded contract.
flight-qualified electric propulsion strings. Each NASA is working with Busek under a Space
string consists of a 12.5-kW Hall thruster, 13.3-kW Technology Announcement of Collaborative
PPU, Xenon Flow Controller (XFC), and associated Opportunity (ACO) to perform life testing of the
intra-string harnesses. NASA supports the AEPS company’s BHT-600 Hall thruster (shown in Fig. 6),
development through in-house EP expertise, plasma including the BHC-2500 cathode. GRC is providing
modeling capabilities, and unique world-class test test facilities and support for a 5,000-hour
facilities. NASA also conducts risk reduction qualification life test that would take place between
activities in support of AEPS development and June 2018 and July 2019. It is envisioned that
mission applications. performing this testing now will reduce the cost for
future customers interested in flying this thruster
system.

Figure 5: Random vibration testing (left) and

performance testing (right) of Technology
Demonstration Unit (TDU) thruster at JPL
Figure 6: BHT-600 Hall thruster
Each AEPS thruster is designed to deliver a
maximum Isp of 2,600 s with a propellant throughput For the AES-funded Lunar IceCube mission,
capability of 1,700 kg. Each PPU is designed to NASA is supporting Busek to qualify its BIT-3
operate over input voltages ranging from 95 to 140 thruster for use with iodine propellant. Busek’s BIT-
V. 3 RF ion thruster is currently designed to operate at
The PDR for AEPS was held in August 2017, 60 W to produce a thrust of 1.4 mN at an Isp of 3,500
followed by a PDR Closure Review for the PPU in s using xenon propellant. An iodine-compatible
March 2018. The Engineering Development Units version of the BIT-3 thruster may offer several
(EDU) are currently being fabricated for a test potential advantages for small spacecraft and
campaign that is planned to begin in late 2018. cubesats, including Lunar IceCube. Under a Phase II
SBIR extension, Busek will conduct up to 4,000
III.III OTHER FLIGHT DEVELOPMENTS hours of wear and integration testing starting in April

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2018. The iodine-compatible BIT-3 hardware is focus is to mature critical propulsion components and
scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2018. perform integrated system testing. The tasks in this
effort are aimed at addressing critical technology
IV. RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY gaps and risks, namely scaling up to higher power
and increased propellant throughput, evaluation of
IV.I 500-W HALL THRUSTER TECHNOLOGY engineering/material changes between xenon and
NASA has significant interest in the development iodine, durability testing for more than 1,000 hours
of sub-kilowatt electric propulsion technologies for for both thruster and cathode, iodine flow control and
potential application to small spacecraft, i.e., metering, and material chemical interactions testing.
spacecraft with wet masses in the range 100-500 kg. This effort has resulted in a successful 1,174 hour
As a result, NASA has two parallel technology durability test, which concluded after a second load
development activities: the STMD-funded Sub- of iodine was exhausted.
Kilowatt Electric Propulsion (SKEP) project; and the Tests performed with the Busek BHT-600-I
JPL-funded Magnetically Shielded Miniature thruster performed very similarly with iodine and
(MaSMI) Hall thruster technology (shown in Fig. 7) xenon. Although there were minor material
[19]. Both of these activities seek to develop long- compatibility issues, these were viewed as being
life, high-performance Hall thruster/PPU strings with readily resolvable. A GRC designed and
input powers in the range of 200 to 800 W. manufactured hollow cathode operating on xenon
was used for the test as a result of prior work that
revealed compatibility issues between Barium Oxide
(BaO) emitters and iodine propellant. It was also
shown that the GRC-developed iodine storage and
feed systems were very stable and reliably delivered
gaseous iodine throughout the test, with no clogging
of feed system component degradation. Several
technical challenges still need to be addressed before
iodine-based EP could be fully implemented for
flight. The AISP project also supported work on a
wide range of topics associated with development of
iodine-based EP systems, including thrusters, PPUs,
materials and coatings, cathodes, storage and feed
systems, test facilities, along with test procedures and
concept of operations (CONOPs).
Figure 7: MaSMI Hall thruster
IV.IV 100-KW THRUSTER TECHNOLOGY
IV.II ELECTROSPRAY THRUSTER TECHNOLOGY For the deep-space transportation of very large
NASA has conducted several activities over payloads and potentially even human crews to Mars,
the last few years focused on Microfluidic NASA is developing high power EP technologies
Electrospray Propulsion (MEP). JPL has (>100 kW). The AES program established the Next
developed an MEP thruster based on Space Technologies for Exploration Partnership
microfabrication techniques [20]. The resulting (NextSTEP) Broad Area Announcement (BAA) to
emitter array chip has demonstrated electrospray solicit proposals for high-power propulsion. The
operation with excellent stability and primary goal of this activity was to demonstrate 100
controllability. The thruster has demonstrated a hours of continuous, steady-state operation of an
thrust of 100 µN and an Isp greater than 3,200 s in a advanced plasma-based propulsion system operating
very compact size. Larger arrays of microfabricated at 100 kW. Three contracts were selected: the
emitters have the potential to enable scaling up Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket
to thrust levels of 1 mN. (VASIMR) led by Ad Astra; the Electrode-less
Lorentz Force (ELF-250) thruster led by MSNW; and
IV.III IODINE THRUSTER TECHNOLOGY the Nested Hall Thruster led by Aerojet-Rocketdyne
NASA is investigating the implications of iodine- (shown in Fig. 8).
based EP technology for smaller spacecraft. Through The demonstrations also required development
STMD’s Advanced In-Space Propulsion (AISP) and successful operation of a PPU, feed system and
project, NASA is focusing on developing and other key components. Key performance goals
demonstrating a 600-W iodine Hall thruster- included specific impulses ranging from 2,000 to
based propulsion system, which includes thruster, 5,000 s, total system efficiency greater than 60%,
cathode, PPU, propellant storage and feed system
[21]. The
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projected operational life of over 10,000 hours, and a exercised in February 2018. In addition,
total subsystem specific mass less than 5 kg/kW. In thruster/facility risk reduction tests were completed
addition, the technologies had to be scalable to over last year at GRC, where the thruster operated at
megawatt power levels. 100 kW for 10 minutes and 80 kW for 3 hours. In
addition, a 10 kW test of the thruster, PPU and feed
system was completed at the University of Michigan
in February 2018.
The 100-hour, 100-kW steady-state tests for
VASIMR and ELF-250 concepts are expected to be
completed by at their respective company facilities
by November 2018. Demonstration of the Nested
Hall configuration is expected to be completed at
GRC in November 2018.

IV.V EP TECHNOLOGY FOR PLANETARY DEFENSE

JPL is also evaluating the use of ion beam
deflection for planetary defense. This approach
transfers momentum to a potentially hazardous object
by directing a high-energy ion beam to impact the
object. This approach has several potential
advantages relative to other proposed planetary
defense techniques for asteroids in the size range of
50-150 km diameter [22]. The key technology
challenge with this approach is the development of
ion optics that produce an ion beam with a
divergence angle of less than four degrees.

IV.VI ULTRA-HIGH SPECIFIC IMPULSE

TECHNOLOGY
JPL is developing lithium-fueled, gridded ion
thruster technology with the goal of demonstrating
operation at a specific impulse an order of magnitude
greater than the current state-of-the-art for gridded
ion thrusters. With a specific impulse of
approximately 50,000 s, this technology would be
applicable to missions that require V’s in the range
100-200 km/s [23]. One such mission is an
interstellar precursor mission to deliver a spacecraft
to a distance of approximately 550 Astronomical
Units (AU) from the Sun in a flight time of less than
15 years (shown in Fig. 9).
A solar range of 550 AU is the location of the
solar gravity lens focus, where theoretically high-
resolution images of exoplanets could be obtained
Figure 8: VASIMR Tests (top), ELF-250 thruster [24]. The propulsion architecture is a type of
(middle), and Nested Hall thruster tests (bottom) directed energy propulsion and is the subject of a
Phase II NASA Innovative Advanced Concept
The three projects have made significant progress (NIAC) study led by JPL. The use of lithium
since they started. After exercising its 3-year propellant has several benefits including the ability to
contract option in August 2017, Ad Astra’s VASIMR obtain specific impulses on the order of 50,000 s with
demonstrated 100 hours of cumulative operation in net accelerating voltages on the order of 6 kV.
6.5-minute intervals at power levels of 100 kW. The
3-year option for MSNW’s ELF-250 was exercised in
November 2017, and preparations are underway for
the demonstration tests at MSNW in Redmond, WA.
For Aerojet-Rocketdyne, the 3-year option was

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 3.__Hani Kamhawi, David Manzella, Luis Pinero,
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VI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Flight Operation of the Dawn Ion Propulsion
System Through Completion of Dawn’s Primary
Work done at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Mission”, AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum,
California Institute of Technology was done under a 52nd AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion
contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Conference
Administration (NASA). The respective authors 13. Garner, C.E., Rayman, M.D., and Brophy, J.R.,
would like to thank the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for “In-Flight Operation of the Dawn Ion Propulsion
funding this study through the various program System Through Year One of Cruise to Ceres,”
offices. The information presented about future Presented at Joint Conference of 30th
mission concepts is pre-decisional and is provided for International Symposium on Space Technology
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Propulsion Conference and 6th Nano-satellite
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