NASA/TM--1999-209439 AIAA 99-2270

A Synopsis of Ion Propulsion Development

Projects in the United States:
SERT I to Deep Space I

James S. Sovey, Vincent K. Rawlin, and Michael J. Patterson

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Prepared for the

35th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit
cosponsored by the AIAA, ASME, SAE, and ASEE
Los Angeles, California, June 20-24, 1999

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

October 1999
 Available from

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 A Synopsis of Ion Propulsion Development Projects in the United States:
SERT I to Deep Space

James S. Sovey, Vincent K. Rawlin. and Michael J. Patterson

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Glenn Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Abstract GSFC Gc,ddard Space Flight Center

HS Hughes Spacecraft
The historical background and characteristics of Hughes Hughes Space and
the experimental flights of ion propulsion Communications Company
systems and the major ground-based technology HV High Voltage
demonstrations were reviewed. The results of the IAPS Ion Auxiliary Propulsion
first successful ion engine flight in 1964, SERT System
I which demonstrated ion beam neutralization, are IPS Ion Propulsion System
discussed along with the extended operation of JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
SERT II starting in 1970. These results together LeRC Lewis Research Center
with the technology employed on the early NSSK North-South Stationkeeping
cesium engine flights, the ATS series, and the NSTAR NASA Solar Electric
ground-test demonstrations, have provided the Propulsion Technology
evolutionary path for the development of xenon Applications Readiness
ion thruster component technologies, control PAS PanAmSat Corporation
systems, and power circuit implementations. In PPU Power Processing Unit
the 1997-1999 period, the communication rms root mean square
satellite flights using ion engine systems and the RPM Revolutions Per Minute
Deep Space I flight confirmed that these SATMEX Satmcx of Mexico Company
auxiliary and primary propulsion systems have S/C Spacecraft
advanced to a high-level of flight-readiness. SCATHA Spacecraft Charging at High
Altitude
Acronyms and Abbreviations SEPS Solar Electric Propulsion
System
ASTRA 2A A communication satellite SEPST Solar Electric Propulsion
built by Hughes for SES System Technology
ATS Applications Technology SES Societe Europeenne des
Satellite Satellites of Luxembourg
BBPPU Breadboard Power Processing SERT Space Electric Rocket Test
Unit SIT Structurally Integrated Thruster
DARPA Defense Advanced Research SNAP Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary
Projects Agency Power
DCIU Digital Control and Interface SNAPSHOT Spacecraft carrying the SNAP
Unit 10A nuclear power supply and
DS1 Deep Space I a cesium ion propulsion
EM Engineering Model system
EM1 Electromagnetic Interference SPIBS Satellite Positive-lon-Beam
EOS Electro Optical Systems System
EWSK East-West Stationkeeping ST4 Space Technology 4
g Acceleration due to Earth's USAF United States Air Force
gravity, 9.807 m/s 2 XIPS Xenon Ion Propulsion System
GRC Glenn Research Center

NASA/TM-- 1999-209439 1
 Introduction The cesium contact engine incorporated an
ionizer array of 84 porous tungsten buttons. The
Kilowatt-class ion propulsion systems have power level, thrust, and specific impulse were
found applications tbr spacecraft North-South 0.77 kW, 8.9 mN, and 7400 s, respectively in
stationkeeping, orbit insertion, and primary this engine which had a beam extraction diameter
propulsion for deep space missions._'2 The first of about 7 cm. The neutralizer was a wire
successful ion propulsion flight system was filament which was not immersed in the ion
demonstrated in 1964 during the course of the beam. Power to the PPU was supplied by 56 V
SERT I flight. 3 Later on seven more ion batteries. The longest ground test was 1230
propulsion systems and one ion source system hours.
were flown as space experiments using mercury,
cesium, or xenon expellants. A total of six The first sub-orbital flight test was launched on
successful, operational flights of IPS are now in December 18, 1962. When the high-voltage
use for NSSK or primary propulsion. Articles power supplies were first turned-on, intermittent
on the origins of ion propulsion can be found in high-voltage breakdowns occurred, and the beam
References 4 and 5. power supply became inoperative. Post-flight
examination of the power supply indicated the
Surveys of the history of electric propulsion high-voltage breakdowns were probably caused
systems have cataloged the evolution of IPS by pressure buildup in the PPU due to gas vented
technology and generally described many of the from the spacecraft batteries. The PPU high-
experimental and operational flights. _ The voltage section was not adequately vented to keep
purpose of this paper is to provide more detail the pressure low enough. Engine thrusting was
related to the IPS flights and major ground not accomplished in this test.
demonstrations of the technology. Back_ound
on system perlbrmance and in-space operation SERTI
will be summarized, and the evolution of
electron-bombardment ion thruster development The SERT I spacecraft was launched July 20,
in the United States will be discussed. 1964 using a Scout vehicle. __3 This flight
experiment had a 8 cm diameter cesium contact
Experimental Fli_hts of Ion ion engine and a 10 cm mercury electron
Pronulsions Systems bombardment ion engine and was the first
successful flight test of ion propulsion. The
The experimental flights of ion propulsion cesium engine was designed to operate at 0.6 kW
systems developed in the United States are and provide 5.6 naN of thrust and a specific
summarized. Some of the results indicated in the impulse of 8050 s. The cesium flow was
Tables Ia and I b are expanded, and major results controlled by a boiler and the porous tungsten
are described. Although there were maior ground ionizer electrode. The 10 cm diameter mercury
test and development programs associated with engine provided flow control via a boiler and a
each of the experimental flights, nearly all of the porous stainless steel plug. A hot tantalum wire
synopsized results reported here are associated was used as the discharge cathode. Beam and
'with the end product which is the flight test. accelerator power supply voltages were 2500 V
and 2000 V, respectively. The engine had a 1.4
pro2ram 661A. Test Code A kW power level with 28 mN of thrust at a
specific impulse of about 4900 s. Ion beam
neutralization was provided by a heated tantalum
In November of 1961, Electro-Optical Systems
filament.
was awarded a contract by the U. S. Air Force to
develop a 8.9 mN, cesium contact ion propulsion
The early part of the flight was dedicated to
system ['or three sub-orbital flight tests. The
attempts to operate the cesium engine. The
Electric Propulsion Space Tests were called
cesium engine could not be started because of a
Program 661A and were managed by the Air
high-voltage electrical short circuit. The mercury
Force Space Systems Command in Los
engine was started about 14 minutes into the
Angeles. l"-_-'
flight. The IPS was successfully operated for

NASA/TM--1999-209439 2
31minutes with53 high-voltagerecycleevents vehicle's third stage. The high voltage was
whichwerehandled by thePPUfaultprotection applied to the engine 7 minutes into the flight
system.Eachoftherecycle events is onlya t;ew when the altitude was 490 km. Engine operation
secondsduration.Majorresultsfromthe test ended after 4 minutes when the altitude was only
werethefirstdemonstrationof anIPSin space, 80 kin.
effective
ionbeamneutralization,
noEMIeffects
on other spacecraft systems,and effective SNAPSHOT
recoveryfromelectrical
breakdowns. Thrustwas
measured using threeindependent measuring On April 3, 1965 a SNAP 10A nuclear power
systems, andtherewereno majordifferences system was launched into a 1300 km orbit with a
betweenin-spaceandgroundtestperformance. cesium ion engine as a secondary payload. _5-_7
The ion beam power supply was operated at
program 661A. Test Code B 4500 V and 80 mA to produce a thrust of about
8.5 mN. The neutralizer was a barium-oxide
Test Code B was the second in the series of three coated wire filament. The ion engine was to be
suborbital flight tests of the Electro Optical operated off batteries tbr about one hour, and then
Systems' 8.9 mN, cesium ion engine the batteries were to be charged lbr approximately
systems. "'H A Scout vehicle launched the 15 hours using 0.1 kW of the nominal 0.5 kW
payload on August 29, 1964. The launch was SNAP system as the power supply. The SNAP
designed to provide about 30 minutes above an power system operated successfully for about
altitude of 370 km. Alter 7 minutes into the 43 days, but the ion engine operated for a period
flight, the engine was operated with ion beam of less than I hour betbre being commanded off
extraction. Full beam current of 94 mA was permanently. Analysis of flight data indicated a
achieved about 10 minutes later. During the significant number of high-voltage breakdowns
course of engine operation, an electric field which apparently caused sufficient EMI to induce
strength meter was used to infer payload floating false horizon sensor signals which created severe
potential relative to space. Spacecraft potential attitude perturbations of the spacecraft. Ground
was about 1000 V negative during most of the tests indicated that the engine arcing produced
engine operation with the filament neutralizer. conducted and radiated EMI significantly above
The absolute value of payload potential was design levels. It was concluded that low
about ten times higher than anticipated, and it is frequency, < 1 MHz, conducted EMI caused the
suspected that there was inadequate neutralization slewing of the spacecraft.
of the ion beam. The contact ion engine operated
lbr approximately 19 minutes until spacecraft re- aTS-4
entry into the atmosphere.
Two cesium contact ion engines were launched
In addition to withstanding the environmental aboard the ATS-4 spacecraft on August 10, 1968.
rigors of space flight, the IPS demonstrated Flight test objectives were to measure thrust and
electromagnetic compatibility with other to examine electromagnetic compatibility with
spacecraft subsystems and the ability to regulate other spacecraft subsystems/'mr" The 5 cm
and control a desired thrust level. diameter thrusters were designed to operate at
0.02 kW and provide about 89 _aN thrust at about
Program 661A. Test Code C 6700 s specific impulse. Thrusters had the
capability to operate at 5 setpoints from 18 [aN
The third and final IPS payload of the Air Force's to 89 l-tN. Thrusters were configured so they
Program 661A was launched on December 2t, could be used for East-West stationkeeping.
1964. __'* In this test, an additional wire Prior to launch, a 5 cm cesium thruster was life
neutralizer was incorporated and was immersed in tested for 2245 hours at the 67 laN thrust level}"
the ion beam to provide a higher probability of
adequate neutralization. The contact ion engine During the launch process the Centaur stage did
only achieved about 20% of full-thrust before re- not achieve a second burn. and the spacecraft
entry into the atmosphere. The short test time remained attached to the Centaur in a 218 km by
was due to a very short burn of the Scout 760 km orbit. It was estimated that the pressure

NASA/TM-- 1999-209439 3
 atthesealtitudes
wasbetween I x 10.6Torrand mercury ion engines and two PPUs. Flight
1x 10-_Torr_. Eachof thetwo engines was objectives included in-space operation for a period
testedonat leasttwo occasions eachoverthe of 6 months, measurement of thrust, and
throttlingrange.Combined testtimeof thetwo demonstration of electromagnetic compatibility.
engines wasabout10hoursovera55dayperiod. The thruster maximum power level was
The spacecraft re-entered
the atmosphere on 0.85 kW, and this provided operation at a 28 mN
October17,1968. thrust level at 4200 s specific impulse. Flight
data were obtained from 1970 to 1981 with an
TheATS-4flightwasthefirstsuccessfulorbital ion engine operating intermittently in one of
testofanionengine.Therewasnoevidence of three different modes, namely, HV ion extraction,
IPS electromagnetic interference
relatedto discharge chamber operation only, or just
spacecraft
subsystems.Measured valuesof neutralizer operation.
neutralizer
emissioncurrentweremuchlessthan
the ion beamcurrentimplying inadequate Major results were that two mercury engines
neutralization.The spacecraftpotentialwas thrusted for periods of 3781 hours ard
about-132V whichwasmuchdifferent thanthe 2011 hours. Test duration was limited due to
anticipated
valueofabout-40V.IS shorts in the ion optical system. Thrust
measured in space and on the ground agreed
within the measurement uncertainties. Up to
300 thruster restarts were demonstrated. A PPU
accumulated nearly 17,9(X) hours during the
A flightIPS.identical
totheoneflownon ATS-
course of the mission. Additionally, the IPS was
4. was launched on ATS-5 on August 12, 1969.
electromagnetically compatible with all other
The purpose of this flight was to demonstrate
NSSK of a geosynchronous satellite. -_'-'-_ Once spacecraft systems.

in geosynchronous orbit the spacecraft could not

ATS-6
be despun as planned, and thus the spacecraft
gravity gradient stabilization could not be
implemented. The spacecraft spin rate was about The purpose of the ATS-6 flight experiment was
76 revolutions per minute, and this caused an to demonstrate NSSK of a geosynchronous
effective 4g acceleration on the cesium feed satellite using two cesium ion engine
system. The high g-loading on the cesium feed systems, zL22242s Thruster development tests
system caused flooding of the discharge chamber, included a lifetest of 2614 hours and 471 cycles.
and normal operation of the thruster with ion Thruster input power was 0.15 kW which
beam extraction could not be perlbrmed. The resulted in a thrust of 4.5 mN at a specific
IPS was able to be operated as a ncutral plasma impulse of 2500 s. The ATS-6 was launched on
source, without high-voltage ion extraction, May 30. 1974. One of the ion engines operated
along with the wire neutralizer to examine for about one hour and the other for 92 hours.

spacecraft charging effects. The neutralizer was Both of the engines fail_ to provide thrust on
also operated by itself to provide electron the restarts due to discharge chamber cesium
injection for the spacecraft charging experiments. flooding. The feed system flooding problem
caused overloading of the discharge and high
SERT 11 voltage power supplies. This failure mechanism
was verified through a series of ground tests. 25

The SERT II development program which started

The IPS operation demonstrated an absence of
in 1966 included thruster ground tests of
EMI related to spacecraft systems, verified
6742hours and 5169 hours duration. A
predictions of spacecraft potential with engines
prototype version of the SERT II spacecraft was
operating, and demonstrated compatibility with
ground-tested tor a period of 2400 hours with an
the S/C star tracker. It was found that the ion
operating ion engine. The spacecraft was
engines or just the neutralizer could discharge
launched into a 1000 km high polar orbit on
large negative spacecraft potentials at all times.
February 3. 1970. -'_ In addition to diagnostic
Further, tests indicated that "differential charging
equipment and related IPS hardware, the
was reduced by the neutralizer when operated in
spacecraft had two identical 15 cm diameter,

NASA/TM--1999-209439 4
spotmodeandeliminated
byoperation
of theion would be applicable to an interplanetary
engine.
-- spacecraft. '_)3" The focus of this program was
directed toward thruster perlormance improve-
SCATHA. P78-2 ments, PPU and control technology, and power
matching and switching. Most of the program
The SCATHA spacecraft had two charged particle efforts were conducted in the late 1960s and early
injection systems one of which was the Satellite 1970s. The 20 cm diameter mercury ion engine
Positive-Ion-Beam System (SPIBS). 2627 This first employed a thermally heated oxide cathode
was a xenon ion source which included some of and later-on used a hollow cathode. Maximum

the technologies used in thrusters: however, the thruster power was 2.5 kW which enabled
discharge chamber was not performance thrusting at 88 mN and a specific impulse of
optimized as was done with ion engines. about 3600 s. Three basic servo-loops were
Maximum operating power was 0.045 kW, and demonstrated, and they were similar in concept to
the ion source could produce a thrust of about the two loops used in the SERT II technology.
0.14 mN at a specific impulse of 350 s. Ions Servo-loops included an ion beam current to
could be ejected at 1 keV or 2 keV. Neutral- main vaporizer loop, a discharge voltage to
ization was accomplished by a tantalum filament. cathode vaporizer loop, and a neutralizer keeper
The specific impulse is low because there was no voltage to neutralizer vaporizer loop. The closed-
attempt to optimize the propellant efficiency. loops, to first order, maintained the thrust level,
The SPIBS system was ground-tested for a period the propellant efficiency, and the floating
of 600 hours. The SCATHA spacecraft was potential from neutralizer common to facility or
launched January 30, 1979 and placed in a near spacecraft ground.
geosynehronous orbit. Ion beam operations were
performed intermittently over a 247 day period. PPU development centered around the beam
power supply. The beam power supply had 8
The SCATHA flight demonstrated that "a charged inverters and had an efficiency of 89% to 90%,
spacecraft, and the dielectric surfaces on it, could over a bus voltage range from about 53 V to
be safely discharged by emitting a very low 80 V. 3" The PPU was integrated with the
energy (<50 eV) neutral plasma--in effect thruster, 2:1 power throttling with closed-loop
"shorting" the spacecraft to the ambient plasma control was demonstrated, and HV recycle
before dangerous charging levels could be algorithms were developed. Initial BBPPU
reached. ''2_ The SPIBS ion source discharged the efficiencies were about 84c_-86cA. and subsequent
SCATHA spacecraft from a potential of -3000 V experimental BBPPUs had efficiencies of 88_h -
using as little as 6 tt_Aof ion beam current. 90cA. The experimental breadboard PPUs, which
provided 2.5 kW, had a specific mass of
Maior Ground-based Demonstrations 5.4 kg/kW. Later work in the 1970s lbcused on
of IPS the SEPS program which developed a 30 cm
mercury engine system which is described in a
subsequent section.
Table 2 contains brief descriptions of the major
ion propulsion ground-test demonstrations in the
SIT-5
United States. The projects described in this
section involve ion propulsion systems that were
never flown, or in the case of the XIPS-25, a pre- A 5 cm diameter mercury ion engine, called SIT-
flight development program that is ongoing. 5, was developed circa 1970 for attitude control
Only those systems that included a structurally and NSSK of geosynchronous satellites) j3_ The
integrated thruster or an engineering model class thruster input power was 0.072 kW, and it
thruster and an advanced PPU are described here. provided a thrust of 2.1 mN at a specific impulse
of 3000 s. Electrostatic thrust vectoring grids
SEPST with a -'-10 degree vectoring capability were
baselined. The engine was successfully random
The objective of the Solar Electric Propulsion vibration tested at 19.9g rms. The mass of the
System Technology program at JPL was to thruster and mercury storage and leed system was
demonstrate a complete breadboard IPS that 2.2 kg. The propellant system could store

NASA/TM--1999-209439 5
6.8kgofmercury whichcouldprovide
operation The thrust subsystem was a bi-module consisting
at full-powertbr approximately
30,000hours. of two thrusters, two PPUs, a propellant system,
Theenvelope wasabout31cmlongby 12 cm a gimbal system, thermal control, and supporting
diameter. The SIT-5 development program structure. 3_39 This module would be a basic
focused on the thruster and li_xt system building-block of a electric stage with simple
development: there was no PPU technology interfaces. The 30 cm thruster was designed for
effort. 2.6 kW input power with 128 mN thrust and a
specific impulse of about 3000 s. 5'3_ The
Hollow cathode component tests demonstrated thruster/PPU was capable of throttling down to
over 2800 simulated duty cycles. A separate test 1.1 kW. More detailed references related to the
of the SIT-5 thruster was conducted for development and test of the SEPS bi-module
9715 hours at a beam voltage of 1300 V, a hardware can be found in Reference 37.
thrust of 1.8 mN, and a specific impulse of
2500 s. 3_3_ During the initial 2023 hours, the One of the early engineering model thrusters was
thruster was operated with a translating screen tested for 10,000 hours over an input power
grid thrust vector system, and the thruster had an range of 0.8 kW to 2.4 kW. a', Endurance tests of
electrostatic thrust vector system for the these 30 cm ion engines confirmed the need for
remainder of the test. The electrostatic beam spalling control of sputter-deposited discharge
vector grids were operated at 5 degrees deflection chamber coatings, 4"4_ and for the need of low
for about 120 hours and at either 2 degrees or sputter-yield materials for the cladding of pole-
4 degrees deflection for 1770 hours. There were pieces and baffles. 42 Other tests indicated that
an number of grid shorts that were successfully very small concentrations of nitrogen in the
cleared by the application of 200 V to 400 V at vacuum facility could significantly reduce wear
currents from 6 mA to 70 mA. These tests were on the upstream surface of the screen grid
helpful in the later definition of grid-clear circuits compared to that expected in space. 4_
for the lAPS, XIPS, and NSTAR thrusters.
Subsequent to these EM thruster tests, a total of
The SIT-5 mercury propellant system was seven advanced engineering model thrusters were
successfully tested lor a period of 5400 hours in tested in segments including 3,940 hours and
an independent test. 5,070 hours and a total test time of
14,541 hours. _2 Ninety five percent of the test
SEPS was implemented using either breadboard or
brassboard PPUs which were of the series-
The Solar Electric Propulsion Stage program was resonant inverter design. _'_44
started in the early 1970s with a goal to provide a
primary ion propulsion system capable of
operating at a fixed power for Earth orbital
applications or over a wide power profile such as The Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System project and
would be encountered in planetary missions. other preflight technology work took place in the
One of the potential planetary targets was an 1974 to 1983 timeframe. 45 Flight test objectives
encounter with the comet Enke. 36_7 The SEPS were to verify in space the thrust duration,
program included the development of 25 kW cycling, and dual thruster operations required lbr
solar arrays, PPUs. thermal control systems, stationkeeping, drag makeup, station change, and
gimbals, throttleable/long-life 30 cm diameter attitude control. This implied demonstration of
ion thrusters, and mercury propellant storage and overall thrusting times of 7,000 hours and 2500
distributions systems. This multi-Center, multi- on/off cycles. The 8 cm diameter, mercury ion
Contractor effort was ongoing for about 10 years engine input power was 0.13 kW, and the thrust
with a NASA investment of approximately $30 was 5.1 mN at a specific impulse of 2500 s.
million dollars. Because of funding limitations, The masses of the flight thruster-gimbal-
a planetary flight program was not carried out: beamshield unit, the PPU, and the digital
rather, a ground-based technology demonstration controller were 3.77 kg, 6.85 kg, and 4.31 kg,
was pursued. respectively. 4_' The system stored 8.63 kg of

NAS A/TM-- 1999-209439 6

mercury,andthe propellantstorageandti,_:x:l XIPS-25 (4.2 kW)
system weighed 1.56kg. ThelAPSsuccessfully
completed all flight qualification
testsandwas A 25 cm diameter xenon engine system is being
installed
onanAir Forcetechnology satellite.
47 developed by the Hughes Space and
The flight of the TealRubyspacecraft was Communications Company for NSSK, EWSK,
canceledbytheAirForceduetolackoffunding. attitude control, and momentum dumping for its
HS 702 spacecraft, s2-_'_The ion thrusters provide
Duringthecourse ofthetechnology
andpreflight stationkeeping at a cost of only 5 kg per year.
programs therewerea numberof endurance
test Additionally, the IPS will be capable of boosting
performed. A laboratory-type
8 cmenginewas the communication satellite's 14,500 km perigee
testedlot 15,040hoursand460cyclesat the of the initial elliptical orbit to a circular
0.14kW level.4_ An engineeringmodelIAPS geosynchronous orbit. Chemical propellant
engineandPPU weresuccessfully testedfor savings could be as much as 450 kg. It is
9,489hoursand652cycles. _'_Thethrusterand planned that the HS 702 spacecraft use four
PPU were located in the same vacuum chamber XIPS-25 engines and two PPUs. Only two of
during this test. In another test, an engineering the four thrusters are required to perform the
model thruster was operated at full-thrust for stationkeeping and momentum control functions.
7112 hours and had 2571 restarts. 5_' There were Hughes has not yet launched the HS 702
no major changes in thruster performance, and no spacecraft with the XIPS-25. The spacecraft has
life-limiting degradation effects were observed. A an end-of-life solar array power capability of
single PPU was used to run two tests and had about 15 kW.
operated tor 14,000 hours without malfunction.
Each thruster has an input power of 4.2 kW and
XIPS-25 _1.3 kW_ provides 165 mN thrust at 3800 s specific
impulse. XIPS hardware is currently under
This XIPS-25 program, conducted by Hughes extended tests at the Hughes-Torrance. CA 6.1 m
Research Laboratories, developed thrusters, diameter by 12.2 m long vacuum facility.
BBPPUs, and a feed system pressure regulator for
possible NSSK of 2500 kg class communication Evolution of Electron-Bombardment
satellites. 5_ The 25 cm diameter, 3-grid, xenon Ion Thruster Development in the
ion engine input power was 1.3 kW with a thrust United States
level of 63 mN and a specific impulse of 28(X1 s.
Three thruster types were developed, namely, a Figure 1 shows a "roadmap" of the history of
laboratory-type, an advanced development model, electron-bombardment ion thruster development
and an engineering model. Performance tests in the United States from the first tests of a 10
indicated that the later models inherited virtually cm engine 55 to the first operational flights in
identical performance. A BBPPU with greatly 1997/1998. TM Much of the history of the early
reduced parts count, over SEPS designs, was development of mercury ion engines was outlined
built and tested. Overall PPU efficiency was in Reference 5. The following remarks only
90c_, and the flight packaged specific mass was focus on the insertion of component
estimated to be 8 kg/kW. A 15 month wear test improvements to the mercury and xenon ion
was conducted using the laboratory model engines. In the early 1960s the wire-grids were
thruster, a BBPPU, and a flight-type regulator. replaced by multiaperture grids, s6 Later, in the
The hardware successfully completed 4,350 hours mid-1960s engine life extension was made
of testing and 3850 cycles which is equivalent to possible by the incorporation of hollow cathodes
about 10 years of NSSK. The Hughes Space and for the neutralizer and main discharge, sT-s9 The
Communications Company subsequently SERT II flight was the major in-space
pursued development of XIPS-13 (0.44 kW) and demonstration of these technologies. 2_ Major
XIPS-25 (4.2 kW) systems, instead of the 1.3 technology improvements in the 1970s were the
kW XIPS-25 system, for NSSK and orbit development of high-perveance, dished grids 6_,
insertion applications. methods to control spalling of sputter deposited

NAS A/TM-- 1999-209439 7

 material
in thedischarge
chamber41,andmethods hardware aboard the spacecraft or reduction in
to providedeep-throttling.
5 Mercuryengines launch size and cost. The IPS consists of two
weredevelopedwithdiameters
ranging
from5 cm fully redundant strings each consisting of two
to 150cm. Endurance testsof theseengines thrusters and one PPU. Two daily "burns" of
extendedfrom about 4,000 hours to 5 hours each are generally required for the NSSK
15,000hours. function. Typical spacecraft lifetime is about
15 years.
In the1980timeframe it wasdecided to replace
themercury engines withxenonengines because Approximate masses for a thruster and PPU are
xenonwas lesscontaminating to spacecraft 5.0 kg and 6.8 kg, respectively. _ Overall IPS
surfaces,andground-test operationsweregreatly dry mass for the spacecraft is about 68 kg. The
simplified.In the 1980sand1990sring-cusp PPU contains seven power modules for the
discharge chambers6_'62 wereusedinsteadof beam, accelerator, discharge, two keepers
divergent-field
chambers whosepole-pieces, in discharges, and two heaters. Overall PPU
thevicinityof the discharge chamber cathode, efficiency of a BBPPU was 88%.
sufferedsevereion erosion. The ring-cusp
chambers do not requirepole-pieces in the PanAmSat was Hughes' first customer for the
vicinityof thehollowcathode, andtheboundary XIPS-13 propulsion system on PAS-5. This
magnetic fielddevicereducestheion lossesto was the first successful, operational spacecraft
the chamber walls.6_ Additionally,long-life, employing IPS and was launched August 27,
xenonhollowcathode technology wasenhanced 1997 from Kazakhstan on a Russian Proton
by developments in theSpaceStationPlasma rocket. Since then, four more spacecraft are
Contactor programwhichfocused on defining operational using the XIPS-13 system namely,
reliableprocessing,
handlingandtestprocedures Galaxy VllI-i, ASTRA-2A, SATMEX 5, and
forthecathodes)a Ground testsof 13cmand30 PAS 6B.
cmdiameter xenonengines demonstrated more
than8,000hoursof reliableoperation, s4_'sThe Deer Svace 1
communication satellite and deep space tests of
these engines, starting in 1997, confirmed the The NSTAR program provided a single string,
thrusters and PPUs are a very mature technology. primary IPS to the Deep Space I spacecraft. The
30 cm ion thruster operates over a 0.5 kW to
Overational Flights of Ion Provulsion 2.3 kW input power range providing thrust from
Systems 19 mN to 92 mN. The specific impulse ranges
from 1900 s at 0.5 kW to 3100 s at 2.3 kW.
In 1997/1998, a new era of ion propulsion for The flight thruster and PPU design requirements
spacecraft began with the deployment of were derived with .the aid of about 50
communication satellites using an IPS with development tests and a series of wear-tests at
0.44 kW thrusters tbr auxiliary propulsion and a NASA LeRC and JPL of 2000 hours, 1000
deep space mission using a 2.3 kW thruster. hours, and 8193 hours using engineering model
These were the first operational uses of IPS by thrusters, 26s The flight-set masses for the
•United States industry and government. thruster. PPU, and DCIU were 8.2 kg, 14.77 kg,
and 2.51 kg, respectively 67. About 1.7 kg mass
PAS-5. _;alaxv Vlll-i. ASTRA-2A. was added to the PPU top plate to satisfy the
SATMEX 5. PAS B DSI micrometeoroid requirements. The power
cable between the thruster and PPU was

As shown in Table 3, the Hughes Space and comprised of two segments which were connected
Communications Company has launched five at a field junction. The thruster cable mass was
operational communications satellites each 0.95 kg, and the PPU cable mass was 0.77 kg.
The xenon storage and feed system dry mass was
employing four-0.44 kW xenon ion thrusters for
NSSK. s-'s_ The high specific impulse IPS about 20.5 kg. A total of 82 kg of xenon was
loaded for the flight. Thrusters and PPUs were
reduces the propellant requirements, versus
manufactured by Hughes, and the DCIU was
chemical systems, by 300 kg to 400 kg, thus
allowing incorporation of more communications built by Spectrum Astro, Inc. The feed system

NASA/TM--1999-209439 8
 development
wasa collaborative
effortbetween and small-body missions using relatively small
JPLandMoog,Inc/'s launch vehicles.

Asof April 27, 1999, the primary thrusting of Conclusions

the NSTAR engine system required to encounter
the asteroid 1992KD was completed. The The historical background and characteristics of
thrusting time at the end of April was 1764 the experimental flights of ion propulsion
hours. Thruster input power levels were varied systems and the major ground-based technology
from 0.48 kWto 1.94 kW. Atotal of 11.6 kg demonstrations were reviewed. The results of the
of xenon was expended. As shown in Table 4, first successful ion engine flight in 1964. SERT
the NSTAR engine already has demonstrated the I which demonstrated ion beam neutralization, are
largest propellant throughput in space as discussed along with the extended operation of
compared to a SERT II engine that expended SERT II starting in 1970. These results together
about 9 kg of mercury. Propellant throughput is with the technology employed on the early
a signature of total impulse capability. Nearly cesium engine flights, the ATS series, and the
70 kg of xenon remains on the DS 1 spacecraft ground-test demonstrations, have provided the
for a possible mission extension. It is intended evolutionary path for the development of xenon
that the DS 1 spacecraft will pass within 10 km ion thruster component technologies, control
of the asteroid 1992KD in July 1999. If an systems, and power circuit implementations. In
extended mission is approved, DS 1 will the 1997-1999 period, the communication
encounter comets Wilson-Harrington and Borrelty satellite flights using ion engine systems and the
in the year 2001. Deep Space 1 flight confirmed that these
auxiliary and primary propulsion systems have
Next G_neration Ion Propulsion advanced to a high-level of flight-readiness.
Z.t.thsl..el.q.xix_
References
Over the next decade, it is expected that there will
bc many communications spacecraft employing 1. Beattie, J. R., Williams, J. D., and Robson,
the XIPS-13 and XIPS-25 propulsion systems. R. R., "Flight Qualification of an 18-raN Xenon
Additionally, the Space Technology 4 spacecraft lon Thruster," IEPC Paper 93-106, September
will be developed by JPL for a flight to the 1993.
comet Tempel 1. and a small vehicle will be sent
to the comet surface for scientific measurements. 2. Sovey, J. S. et al., "Development of an Ion
The ST4 spacecraft will use three NSTAR ion Thruster and Power Processor for New
engine/PPU subsystems for primary propulsion. Millennium's Deep Space 1 Mission," AIAA
Paper 97-2778, July 1997.
In the next few years, new IPS technologies will
be developed by NASA for higher thrust density 3. Cybulski, R. J., et al., "Results from SERT I
30 cm ion engines and sub-kilowatt, smaller Ion Rocket Flight Test," NASA TN D-2818,
engines both of which have application to March 1965.
planetary and Earth-orbital spacecraft. Some of
the near-term work, shown in Figure 2, involves 4. Anon., "Ion Propulsion, Over 50 Years in
development of titanium and carbon-carbon ion the Making,"
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improvements compared to the baseline es/ion-ast.htm. February 1999.
molybdenum grid systems. Low-power and Iow-
flowrate neutralizers are also needed tor a wide
5. Anon., "A Case History of Technology
class of thrusters which operate at low power
Transfer." NASA TM-82618. August 1981.
levels or are throttled over a wide range of input
power. Design approaches and manufacturing 6. Holcomb, L. B., "Survey of Satellite
technologies which provide reduced ion engine Auxiliary Electric Propulsion Systems," Journal
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attention in order to enable or enhance planetary
1972.

NASA/TM--1999-209439 9
 7. Molitor, J. H., "Ion PropulsionFlight 18. Hunter, R. E., et al., " Cesium Contact Ion
Experience,Life Tests, and Reliability Microthruster Experiment aboard Applications
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September 1969, pp. 968-970.
8. Pollard, J. E., et al., "Electric Propulsion
Flight Experience and Technology Readiness," 19. Worlock, R., et al., "An Advanced Contact
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9. Maninez-Sanchez, M. and Pollard, J. E., pp. 424-429.
"Spacecraft Electric Propulsion-An Overview,"
Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 14, 20. James, E. L. and i3oldner, S. J., "Ion Engine
No. 5, September-October 1998. Systems Testing," AFAPL-TR-69112, February
1970.
10. Davis, J., "Sub-orbital Flight Testing of
Electric Propulsion Systems," proceedings of the 21. Bartlett, R. O., et al., "Spacecraft Charging
Symposium of Advanced Propulsion Concepts. Control Demonstration at Geosynchronous
Science Publishers, Inc., January 1966, Altitude," AIAA Paper 75-359, March 1975.
pp. 1-20.
22. Olsen, R. C., "Experiments in Charge
11. Tannen. P. D., "Engineering Support Ior Control at Geosynchronous Orbit--ATS-5 and
Electric Propulsion Space Tests," in AFSC llth ATS-6," Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets
Annual Air" Force Science atut Engineering Vol. 22, No. 3, May-June 1985.
Symposium, June 1964,
23. Kerslake, W. R. and Ignaczak, L. R.,
12. Ernstene. M. P., et al., "Surface Ionization "Development and Flight History of SERT 1I
Engine Development." Journal of Spacecraft and Spacecraft," AIAA Paper 92-3516. July 1992.
Rockets, Vol. 3. No. 5, May 1966,
pp. 744-747. 24. James, E. L., et al., "A North-South
Stationkeeping Ion Thruster System for
13. Gold, H., et al., "Description and Operation ATS-F," AIAA Paper 73-I133, October 1973.
of Spacecraft in SERT I Ion Thruster Flight
Test," NASA TMX- 1077, March 1965. 25. Worlock, R. M., et al., "The Cesium
Bombardment Engine North-South Station-
14. Tannen, P. D. and Radoy, C. H., "Electric keeping Experiment on ATS-6," AIAA Paper
Propulsion Space Tests," USAF Technical 75-363, March 1975.
Report Number AFSWC TR-65-2, June 1965.
26. Masek, T. D. and Cohen, H. A., "Satellite
15. Brunings, J. E. and Johnson, C. E., Positive-lon-Beam System," Journal of Space-
"Nuclear Power in Space," Mechanical Engin- craft and Rockets, Vol. 15, No. I.
eering, February 1967, pp. 35-41. January-February 1978, pp. 27-33.

16. Davis, J. D. and Burnett. J. R., "Radiation 27. Olsen, O. C., "Investigation of Beam-
Hardening of an Ion Propulsion System," in Plasma Interactions," Final Report, NASA
Record of the 1965 htternational Symposium on CR-180579, May 1987.
Space Electronics. November 1965, pp. 13-B1
to 13-B 16. 28. Shuman, B. M. and Cohen, H. A.,
"Automatic Charge Control System tor
17. Sellen. J. M., "Interaction of Spacecraft Satellites," NASA Conference Publication 2359,
Science and Engineering Subsystems with also AFGL-TR-85-O018, papers from the
Electric Propulsion Systems," AIAA Paper Spacecraft Environmental Interactions
69- I i06, October 1969. Technology Conference held in October 1983.

NASA/TM--1999-209439 10
29.Masek,T. D. andPawlik,E. V., "Thrust 41. Power, J. L. and Hiznay, D. J., "Solutions
System Technologylbr Solar Electric for Discharge Chamber Sputtering and Anode
Propulsion,"
AIAAPaper 68-541,June1968. Deposit Spalling in Small Mercury Ion
Thrusters," AIAA Paper 75-399, March 1975.
30.Macie,T.W.,etal.,"Integration
of a Flight
Prototype
PowerConditioner witha 20-cmIon 42. Bechtel, R. T., et al., "Results of the
Thruster,"
AIAAPaper71-159,January 1971. Mission Profile Life Test," AIAA Paper
82-1905, November 1982.
31.Hyman,J., "DesignandDevelopmentof a
Small StructurallyIntegratedton Thruster 43. Rawlin, V. K. and Mantenieks, M. A.,
System,"
NASACR-120821, October1971. "Effect of Facility Background Gases on Internal
Erosion of the 30-cm HG Ion Thruster," AIAA
32. Hyman,J., "Pertormance Optimized, Small Paper 78-665, April 1978.
Structurally Integrated Ion Thruster System,"
NASA CR-121183, May 1973. 44. Bless, J. J., et al., "Electric Prototype Power
Processor for a 30 cm Ion Thruster," NASA
33. Nakanishi, S., et al.. "Status of a Five- CR-135287, March 1977.
Centimeter-Diameter Ion Thruster Technology
Program," AIAA Paper 71-690, June 1971. 45. Power. J. L., "Planned Flight Test of a
Mercury Ion Auxiliary Propulsion
34. Nakanishi, S., "Durability Tests of s Five- System--Objectives, System Descriptions, and
Centimeter Ion Thruster System," AIAA Paper Mission Operations," AIAA Paper 78-647, April
72-1151, November 1972. 1978.

35. Nakanishi, S. and Finke, R. C., "A 46. Collett. C. R., "Auxiliary Propulsion
9700-Hour Durability Test of a Five Centimeter System Flight Package," NASA CR-180828,
Diameter Ion Thruster," AIAA Paper 73-1111, November 1987.
November 1973.
47. Smith, B. A., "Teal Ruby Spacecraft to be
36. Duxbury, J. H., "A Solar-Electric Spacecraft Put in Storage at Norton AFB," Aviation Week
for the Encke Slow Flyby Mission," ALAA & Space Technology, January 8, 1990,
Paper 73-1126, November 1973. pp. 22-23.

37. Anon., "30-Centimeter Ion Thrust 48. Nakanishi, S., "A 15,000-Hour Cyclic
Subsystem Design Manual," NASA TM-7919 I, Endurance Test of an 8-Centimeter-Diameter
June 1979. Electron Bombardment Mercury Ion Thruster,"
NASA TMX-73508, November 1976.
38. Sharp, G. R., "Thruster Subsystem Module
tor Solar Electric Propulsion." Journal of 49. Dulgeroff, C. R., et al., "lAPS (8-cm) Ion
Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 13, No. 2. February Thruster Cyclic Endurance Test," IEPC Paper
1976, pp. 106-110. 84-37, May 1984.

39. Schnelker, D. E. and Collett. C. R., "30-cm 50. Francisco, D. R.. et al., "Successful
Engineering Model Thruster Design and Completion of a Cyclic Ground Test of a
Qualification Tests," AIAA Paper 75-341, Mercury Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System,"
March 1975. IEPC Paper 88-035, October 1988.

40. Collett, C. R., et al.. "Thruster Endurance 51. Beattie, J. R., et al., "Status of Xenon Ion
Test," NASA CR-135011, May 1976. Propulsion Technology," A1AA Paper 87-1003,
May 1987.

NASA/TM-- 1999-209439 11
52. Beattie,J. R., "XIPSKeepsSatelliteson 61. Moore, R. D., "Magneto-Electrostatically
Track,"The Industrial Physicist, June 1998, Contained Plasma Ion Thruster," AIAA Paper
pp. 24-26. 69-260, March 1969.

53. Anon., "Power to Burn: Versatile New 62. Sovey, J. S., "Improved Ion Containment
Series Answers Customer Needs," Using a Ring-Cusp Ion Thruster," Journal of
http://www.hughespace.com/factsheets/7 Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 21, No. 5,
02/702.html. September-October 1984, pp. 488-495.

54. Anon.. "XIPS: The Latest Thrust in 63. Matossian, J. N. and Beattie, J. R.,
Propulsion Technology," "Characteristics of Ring-Cusp Discharge
http://www.hughespace.com/factsheets/xi Chambers," Journal of Propulsion and Power,
ps/xips.html. Vol. 7, No. 6, November-December 1991,
pp. 968-974.
55. Kaufman, H. R., "An Ion Rocket with an
Electron-Bombardment Ion Source," NASA TN 64. Patterson, M. J., et al., "Plasma Contactor
D-585, 1961. Technology for Space Station Freedom," AIAA
Paper 93-2228, June 1993.
56. Kaufman, H. R. and Reader, P. D.,
"Experimental Performance of Ion Rockets 65. Polk, J. E., et al., "The Effect of Engine
Employing Electron-Bombardment Ion Sources," Wear on Performance in the NSTAR 8000 Hour
in Progress in Astronautics and Rocketry, Ion Engine Endurance Test," AIAA Paper
Voi. 5, Electrostatic Propulsion, Academic 97-3387, July 1997.
Press. Inc., 1961, pp. 3-20.
66. Beattie, J. R., Williams, J. D., and Robson,
57. Sellen, J. M. and Kemp, R. F., "Research R. R., "Flight Qualification of an 18-mN Xenon
on Ion Beam Diagnostics." NASA CR-54692, Ion Thruster," IEPC Paper 93-106, September
1966. 1993.

58. Sohl, G., Fosnight, V. V., and Goldner, S. 67. Gronroos, H. G., NSTAR Project Office at
J., "Electron Bombardment Cesium lon Engine JPL, Private Communication, May 1998.
System." NASA CR-5471 I, April 1967.
68. Bushway, E. D., Engelbrecht. C. S.. "and
59. Rawlin, V. K. and Pawlik, E. V., "A Ganapathi, G. B., "NSTAR Ion Engine Xenon
Mercury Plasma-Bridge Neutralizer," Journal of Feed System: Introduction to System Design and
Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 5, February, 1968, Development," IEPC Paper 97-044. August.
1997.
pp. 159-164.

60. Rawlin, V. K., Banks, B. A., and Byers, D.

C., "Design, Fabrication, and Operation of
Dished Accelerator Grids on a 30 cm Ion
Thruster." AIAA Paper 72--486, 1972.

NASA/TM--1999-209439 12
 Table la. Experimental Flights of Ion Propulsion Systems

Spacecraft Program SERT I Program 661A, Program SNAPSHOT

661A, Test Test Code B 661A, Test
Code A Code C

S p on so r USAF NASA LeRC USAF USAF USAF

Builder of IPS EOS LeRC HuLzhes EOS EOS EOS

Launch date 12.18.62 07.20.64 08.29.64 12.21.64 04.03.65

Orbit, km Suborbital Suborbital Suborbital Suborbital 700

IPS type Contact Electron Contact Contact Contact Contact

ionization bombard- ioniza- ionization ionization ionization
ment lion

Mercury Cesium Cesium

Pro p ella nt Cesium Cesium Cesium

No. of thrusters 1 1 1 1 1 1

Thruster anode -7 cm 10 cm 8 cm -7 cm -7 cm -5 cm
diameter

Type of Wire filament Ta wire Ta wire Wire filament Wire filament Wire
neutralizer in beam filament.
barium
coated

Beam power 5000 V 2500 V 4500 V 5000 V 5000 V 4500 V

supply voltage

Power per 0.77 kW 1.4 kW 0.6 kW 0.77 kW 0.77 kW -(I.4 kW

thruster

Maximum thrust 8.9 mN 28 mN 5.6 mN 8.9 mN 8.9 mN -8.5 mN

4900 s 8050 s 7400 s 7400 s 5100 s

Specific impulse 7400 s

Propellant mass 2_

Maximum in- 0 min. 31 min. 0 min. -19 min. -4 min. <60 min.

space operation
time for one
thruster

Longest ground 1230 h

test

HV power 1PS and Cesium Stable operation of the Failed 3rd stage Continuous
Comment burn shortened
supply tailed neutraliza- engine had IPS. S/C potential arcing at HV
due to lion a HV -1000 V at full thrust.. operation, terminals
contamination demonstra- short.. Ref. 14 Obtained -20% of induced EMI
tiom gases lion. Ref. 3 Ref. 3 full thrust.. to the S/C
vented from Ref. 14 systems.
batteries. Ref. Ref. 16
10

NASAlTM--1999-209439 13
 Tablelb. Experimental
Flightsof IonPropulsion
Systems

Spacecraft ATS-4 ATS-5 SERT II ATS-6 SCATHA

P78-2

Sponsor USAF/NASA USAF/NASA NASA LeRC NASA GSFC USAF/NASA

GSFC GSFC GSFC
Builder of IPS EOS EOS NASA LeRC, EOS Hughes
Westin[house (ion source)

Launch date 08.10.68 08.12,69 02.03.70 05.30.74 01.30.79

218x760 36,000 1000 36,000 43,000x27,000

Orbitr km

IPS type Contact Contact Electron Electron Electron

ionization ionization bombardment bombardment bombardment

Propellant Cesium Cesium Mercury Cesium Xenon

No. of thrusters 2 2 2 2 1

Thruster anode 5 cm 5cm 15 cm 8 cm 3.6 cm

diameter

Type of Ta doped with Ta doped with Hollow Cesiated Ta Ta doped with

neutralizer Yttrium Yttrium cathode Yttrium

Beam power 3000 V 3000 V 3000 V 56O V 1000 V to

supply voltage 2OO0 V

Power per 0.02 kW 0.02 kW 0.85 kW 0.15 kW 0.03 to 0.045

thruster kW

Maximum thrust 0.089 mN 0.089 mN 28 mN 4.5 mN 0.14 mN

Specific impulse 6700 s 6700 s 4200 s 2500 s 350 s

Propellant mass -0.05 kE 15 k_ 3.6 k_ 0.3 k_

Max. in-space -10 h No operation -3781 h 92 h

operation time withaHV
for one thruster beam.

Longest ground 2245 h 6742 h, 2614 h, -600 h

test_s) 5169 h 471 c_/cles

S/C was in a low S/C had a 76 One ion engine One thruster Operations were
Comment
altitude parking RPM spin=rate. operated 3781 h operated for ~1 performed
orbit due to a This produced a until the hour and the intermittantly
Centaur stage 4g field which neutralizer tank other for 92 over a 247 day
failure. First compromised the was depleted. hours. Further period. Ref. 26
successfull cesium feed The other engine thrusting was
orbital test of an system and had a grid short terminated due to
ion engine. No precluded which limited a feed system
EMI to S/C normal operation to "flooding"
subsystems. operation. 2011 h. Ref. 23 problem. No
Ref. 18 Ref. 21 EMI. Ref. 24

NASA/TM-- 1999-209439 14
 Table2. MaiorIonPropulsion
System
Demonstrations

Project SEPST SIT-5 SEPS lAPS XIPS-25 XIPS-25

Name

Sponsor NASA JPL NASA LeRC NASA NASA LeRC INTELSAT Hughes

Builder of JPL Hughes Hughes Hughes Hughes Hughes

thruster

Builder of Hughes/TRW TRW Hughes Hughes Hughes

PPU

Integrator of JPL LeRC Hughes Hughes Hughes

IPS

Project 1968 to 1972 1969 to 1972 1972 to 1980 1974 to 1983 1985 to 1988 Ongoing in
duration 1999. preflight

Propellant Mercury Mercury Mercury Mercury Xenon Xenon

Thruater 20 cm 5 cm 30 cm 8 cm 25 cm 25 cm
diameter

Type of Hollow cathode Hollow cathode Hollow cathode Hollow cathode Hollow cathode Hollow cathode
neutralizer

Beam power 2000 V 1600 V I100 V 1200 V 750 V 1400 V

supply
voltage

Power per 2.5 kW 0.072 kW 2.6 kW 0.13 kW 1.3 kW 4.2 kW

thruster

Maximum 88 mN 2.1 mN 128 mN 5.1 mN 63 mN 165 mN

thrust

Specific 3600 s 3000 s 3000 s 2500 s 2800 s 3800 s

impulse

Longest 1300 h 9715 h 10,000 h 15,040 h, 4350 h, 3850 Ongoing in

ground test 9489 h, 7112 h cycles 1999

NASA/TM--1999-209439 15
 Table3. Operational
FlightsofIonPropulsion
Systems

PAS-5 Galaxy ASTRA- Deep SATMEX PAS 6B

Spacecraft VlII-i 2A Space 1 5

Sponsor PanAmSat PanAmSat SES NASA Satmex PanAmSat

LeRC/JPL

Builder of IPS Hu_hes Hu_hes Hu_hes Hu£hes Hu_hes Hu_hes

Launch date 08.27.97 12.08.97 08.29.98 10.24.98 12.05.98 12.21.98

Orbit, km 36.000 36,000 36,000 Orbits sun 36,000 36,000

IPS type Electron Electron Electron Electron Electron Electron

bombardm't bombardm't bombardm't bombardm't bombardm't bombardm't

Propellant Xenon Xenon Xenon Xenon Xenon Xenon

No. of thrusters 4 4 4 1 4 4

Thruster diameter 13cm 13cm 13cm 30cm 13cm 13cm

Type of Hollow Hollow Hollow Hollow Hollow Hollow

neutralize r cathode cathode cathode cathode cathode cathode

Beam power 750 V 750 V 750 V 650 V to 750 V 750 V

supply volta[[e 1100 V

Power per 0.44 kW 0.44 kW 0.44 kW 0.50 kW to 0.44 kW 0.44 kW

thruster 2.3 kW

Maximum thrust 18mN 18mN 18raN 92raN 18mN 18mN

Specific impulse 2590 s 2590 s 2590 s 1900 s to 2590 s 2590 s

3100 s

Propellant mass >100 kg >100 kg >100 kg 82 kg >100 kg >100 kg

Maximum in- 1764 h as of

space operation 04.27.99
time for one
thruster

Longest ground >8000 h 8193 h

test

NASA/TM-- 1999-209439 16
 Table 4. Comparison of the Propellant Throughput Capability of the
SERT II and Deep Space I Ion Propulsion Systems

Propellant Throughput

SERT II

Propellant type Me_u_

_on_est ,ground test -16 k_

Maximum thruster propellant throughput in-space Estimated to be -9 kg

NSTAR/Dee 9 Snace 1

Propellant type Xenon

.onE.est ground test 87.5 k_

Maximum thruster propellant throughput in-space I 1.6 kg

as of 04.27.99

DS I propellant throughput capability for the 82 kg

primary and extended mission

NAS A/TM-- 1999-209439 17

 FigureI. Historyofelectron-bombardment
ionthruster
development
intheUnitedStates.
(All projects
wereNASAsponsored
unless
noted
otherwise.)

YEAR COMPONENT DEVELOPMENT _

ADVANCES PROGRAMS

1960 -> 10-cm lab thruster I

5-cm lab thruster I
I Multi-aperture grids
20-cm lab thruster ]
1964 -> ] SERTI (10-cm)
Vaporizer
Long-life oxide main
cathode
1966 -> Plasma bridge SERT II EM thruster
neutralizer and (15-cm)
discharge chamber
hollow cathode
50-cm lab thruster
150-cm lab thruster
1970 -> SERT II thruster& PPU I 15-cm SERT 11
I HV, propellant
isolator { Hu_hes) _,ound-tested 6742 h I flight svstem
1972 -> 20-cm SEPST EM
s_'stem
5-cm EM thruster
1973-> 8-cm lab thruster
I Dished [zrids
30-cm lab thruster
Grid erosion control
30 cm EM 15,_ h test-8 cm
Development Contract
at Hu_hes
SEPS development I 0,000 h test - 30 em
EM
pro[zram
1976-> 8-cm EM thruster 5070 h test-30 cm EM
Control of spalled
flakes in discharge
chamber
Test facility effects on
component wear
lAPS development
program (8-cm, H_)
1980 -> I Chan_e H_ -> Xe

1981-> I Rin_.-cusp chamber 30-cm thruster (Xe)

25-cm thruster (Xel 9489 h test of the 8-cm. I
([NTELSAT/Hu_hes) EM mercury thruster I
1988-> 13-cm lab thruster (Xe)
(Hu_hes)
Develop reliable Xe
hollow cathode via
Space Station plasma
contactor program
1997 -> XIPS- 13 for comsat
NSSK (Hu_hcs)
1998 -> >8000 h test of
XIPS-13 (Hu_hes)
8193 h test of the NSTAR 30-cm lor
NSTAR thruster Deep Space 1
1999 -> XIPS-25 for comsat Extended testing of the
orbit insertion and XIPS-25 (Hughes)
NSSK (Hu_hes)
Initiate development of Extended ground-
subkilowatt and 5 kW testing of the NSTAR
IPS for Earth-orbital flight spare thruster,
and deep space S/C PPU, and DCIU

NASA_M I 1999-209439 18
 Figure 2. Ion propulsion technology roadmap for Earth-orbital and planetary applications

(Calendar Year)

2000 2005 2010

1995

t t 0
2 X Cost
Hughes PAS-5, Hughes 701S/C
Reduction
500 W XIPS 4.2 kWXIPS 3 NSTAR
in IPS
(First of many S/C) Space Technology
subsystem IPS 4,

I
NSTAR on. I
Deep Space I,
2.5 kW |PS [ Taurus
Europa
Planetary
Orbiter,
mission,
Outer Planet
1
1
Explorer_li_i_
High Delta-V Orbit Transfers, _"

Flight Applications
DoD Missions /

t
2.5 kW IPS

5 kW 1PS High Power IPS

I Low Power IPS

Core Technology
J
1
Cathode Low Flow Titanium Carbon- Sub-Kilowatt Sub 100 _' 10 kW- 30 k_'

Technologies Neutralizer Ion Optics Carbon

ion Optics
Thruster
(Efficiency)
Thruster
(low mass)
Systems
F

NASAfYM--1999-209439 19
 REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Fo_Approved
OMB No. 0704-0188
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gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
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1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED
October 1999 Technical Memorandum
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS

A Synopsis of lon Propulsion Development Projects in the United States:

SERT I to Deep Space I
WU-632-1B-I B-00
6. AUTHOR(S)

James S. Sovey, Vincent K. Rawlin, and Michael J. Patterson

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

REPORT NUMBER

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field E-11916
Cleveland, Ohio 44135-3191

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING

AGENCY REPORTNUMBER

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546-0001 NASA TM-- 1999-209439
AIAA 99-2270

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

Prepared for the 35th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit cosponsored by the AIAA, ASME, SAE. and ASEE
Los Angeles, California, June 20-24, 1999. Responsible person, James S. Sovey, organization code 5430,
(216) 977-7454.

12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

Unclassified - Unlimited

Subject Category: 20 Distribution: Nonstandard

This publication is available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information. (301) 621-0390.

13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

The historical background and characteristics of the experimental flights of ion propulsion systems and the major ground-
based technology demonstrations were reviewed. The results of the first successful ion engine flight in 1964, SERT I which
demonstrated ion beam neutralization, are discussed along with the extended operation of SERT II starting in 1970. These
results together with the technology employed on the early cesium engine flights, the ATS series, and the ground-test
demonstrations, have provided the evolutionary path for the development of xenon ion thruster component technologies,
control systems, and power circuit implementations. In the 1997-1999 period, the communication satellite flights using ion
engine systems and the Deep Space 1 flight confirmed that these auxiliary and primary propulsion systems have advanced
to a high-level of flight-readiness.

14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES

25
Propulsion; Electric propulsion; Spacecraft propulsion; Plasma applications 16. PRICE CODE

A03
17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT
OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT
Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified

NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89)

Prescribed by ANSi Std. Z39-1 8
298-102