Preliminary thrust characterization of a T5 hollow cathode

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Description/Abstract

Previous testing of conventional T6 hollow cathodes has shown performance sufficient to consider displacing dual chemical/ion thruster propulsion systems with a common hollow cathode thruster (HCT)/ion thruster system. Future design optimization requires a detailed understanding of the influence of terminal parameters on all thrust generation mechanisms. As the next step in this process, this paper presents a preliminary thrust characterization of the T5 hollow cathode with argon using a pendulum thrust balance as a laser optical lever with a position sensitive photo-detector. Influence of terminal parameters such as geometry, flow rate and discharge current are discussed with respect to thrust parameters. This work identifies the possibility of using a T5 HCT as part of an all-electric propulsion system for the proposed European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO). The all-electric spacecraft presents significant mass savings over conventional configurations while the preferable electrical characteristics of the hollow cathode discharge also make standalone thruster a candidate for micro satellite applications.