First, the thruster system would be simpler and lower cost than current ion thrusters. A second benefit would be increased performance, as previously explained, the thruster efficiency is expected to be higher at a given specific impulse since the losses associated with excitation and the discharge cathode would be minimized. A third benefit will be its scalability to a variety of power levels. A final benefit would be increased reliability and thruster life.
More »Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
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Glenn Research Center (GRC) | Lead Organization | NASA Center | Cleveland, Ohio |