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Results for “Solar electric propulsion”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1966

Solar-Powered Electric Propulsion Systems: Engineering and Applications

Lightweight, multikilowatt solar power arrays in conjunction with electric propulsion offer potential improvements to space exploration, extending the usefulness of existing launch vehicles to higher-energy missions. Characteristics of solar-powered electric propulsion missions are outlined, and preliminary performance estimates are shown. Spacecraft system engineering is discussed with respect to parametric trade-offs in power and propulsion system design. Relationships between mission performance and propulsion system performance are illustrated. The present state of the art of electric propulsion systems is reviewed and related to the mission requirements identified earlier. The propulsion system design and test requirements for a mission spacecraft are identified and discussed. Although only ion engine systems are currently available, certain plasma propulsion systems offer some advantages in over-all system design. These are identified, and goals are set for plasma-thrustor systems to make them competitive with ion-engine systems for mission applications.

Stearns, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Space transfer concepts and analysis for exploration missions

The progress and results are summarized for mission/system requirements database; mission analysis; GN and C (Guidance, Navigation, and Control), aeroheating, Mars landing; radiation protection; aerobrake mass analysis; Shuttle-Z, TMIS (Trans-Mars Injection Stage); Long Duration Habitat Trade Study; evolutionary lunar and Mars options; NTR (Nuclear Thermal Rocket); NEP (Nuclear Electric Propulsion) update; SEP (Solar Electric Propulsion) update; orbital and space-based requirements; technology; piloted rover; programmatic task; and evolutionary and innovative architecture.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

Multimegawatt electric propulsion for Mars missions

This paper summarizes an evaluation of multimegawatt (MMW) nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) and solar electric propulsion (SEP) for a piloted Mars exploration scenario. The figures of merit used in this study were total initial mass in low earth orbit (IMLEO) and the trip time. The MMW NEP and SEP systems to an aerobraked chemical (O2/H2) propulsion system are compared. A good performance compromise between a low IMLEO and short trip time can be obtained using MMW NEP systems; they can be both lighter and faster than the baseline chemical system. However, a MMW SEP system does not appear capable of providing as short a trip time as MMW NEP, in part due to the higher specific mass and non-constant power output of a SEP system.

Frisbee, Robert H.↗
NASA NTRS2024

NASA’s Small Spacecraft Electric Propulsion (SSEP) System

Developed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center, the Small Spacecraft Electric Propulsion (SSEP) Technology Suite, LEW-TOPS-162, enables a compact, high-performance, enduring and scalable primary propulsion system for small spacecraft. The SSEP belongs to a class of in-space propulsion known as solar electric propulsion (SEP), where thrust is derived from solar energy and solar panels, rather than heavy, combustible stored chemicals. Combining electrostatics with magnetism, the SSEP converts solar energy to thrust by trapping ejected electrons in doughnut-like ring contained within an annular magnetic field of its thruster. This creates a Hall current, a circulating swirl of electrons, and enables Hall Effect Thrusters (HETs). Thrust is generated when an ejected neutral gas impacts an electron in the Hall current, ionizing it, and abruptly accelerating it perpendicular to the Hall current due to the electrostatic field of the circulating electrons.

Solar Electric Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS2013

Explorations of Psyche and Callisto Enabled by Ion Propulsion

Recent developments in ion propulsion (specifically solar electric propulsion - SEP) have the potential for dramatically reducing the transportation cost of planetary missions. We examine two representative cases, where these new developments enable missions which, until recently, would have required resouces well beyond those allocated to the Discovery program. The two cases of interest address differentiation of asteroids and large icy satellites

planetary missions↗
NASA NTRS2006

NASA's 2004 In-Space Propulsion Refocus Studies for New Frontiers Class Missions

The New Frontiers (NF) program is designed to provide opportunities to fulfill the science objectives for top priority, medium class missions identified in the Decadal Solar System Exploration Survey. This paper assesses the applicability of the In-Space Propulsion s (ISP) Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technologies for representative NF class missions that include a Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes (JPOP), Comet Surface Sample Return (CSSR), and two different Titan missions. The SEP technologies evaluated include the 7-kW, 4,100-second NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), the 3-kW, 2,700-second Hall thruster, and two different NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Readiness (NSTAR) thrusters that are variants of the Deep Space 1 (DS1) thruster. One type of NSTAR, a 2.6-kW, 3,100-second thruster, will be the primary propulsion system for the DAWN mission that is scheduled to launch in 2006; the other is an "enhanced", higher power variant (3.8-kW, 4,100-second) and is so-called because it uses NEXT system components such as the NEXT power processing unit (PPU). The results show that SEP is applicable for the CSSR mission and a Titan Lander mission. In addition, NEXT has improved its applicability for these types of missions by modifying its thruster performance relative to its performance at the beginning of this study.

Witzberger, Kevin E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Ion Propulsion System for the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission

The Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission is a Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Demonstration Mission (ARRM) whose main objectives are to develop and demonstrate a high-power solar electric propulsion capability for the Agency and return an asteroidal mass for rendezvous and characterization in a companion human-crewed mission. This high-power solar electric propulsion capability, or an extensible derivative of it, has been identified as a critical part of NASA'a future beyond-low-Earth-orbit, human-crewed exploration plans. Under the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate the critical electric propulsion and solar array technologies are being developed. This paper presents the conceptual design of the ARRM ion propulsion system, the status of the NASA in-house thruster and power processing development activities, the status of the planned technology maturation for the mission through flight hardware delivery, and the status of the mission formulation and spacecraft acquisition.

Electric Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS1995

Electric propulsion for geostationary orbit insertion

Solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology is already being used for geostationary satellite stationkeeping to increase payload mass. By using this same technology to perform part of the orbit transfer additional increases in payload mass can be achieved. Advanced chemical and N2H4 arcjet systems are used to increase the payload mass by performing stationkeeping and part of the orbit transfer. Four mission options are analyzed which show the impact of either sharing the orbit transfer between chemical and SEP systems or having either complete the transfer alone. Results show that for an Atlas 2AS payload increases in net mass (geostationary satellite mass less wet propulsion system mass) of up to 100 kg can be achieved using advanced chemical for the transfer and advanced N2H4 arcjets for stationkeeping. An additional 100 kg can be added using advanced N2H4 arcjets for part of a 40 day orbit transfer.

Oleson, Steven R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

In-Space Propulsion Program Overview and Status

NASA's In-Space Propulsion (ISP) Program is designed to develop advanced propulsion technologies that can enable or greatly enhance near and mid-term NASA science missions by significantly reducing cost, mass, and/or travel times. These technologies include: Electric Propulsion (Solar and Nuclear Electric) [note: The Nuclear Electric Propulsion work will be transferred to the NSI program in FY03]; Propellantless Propulsion (aerocapture, solar sails, plasma sails, and momentum exchange tethers); Advanced Chemical Propulsion. The ISP approach to identifying and prioritizing these most promising technologies is to use mission analysis and subsequent peer review. These technologies under consideration are mid-Technology Readiness Level (TRL) up to TRL-6 for incorporation into mission planning within three - five years of initiation. In addition, maximum use of open competition is encouraged to seek optimum solutions under ISP. Several NASA Research Announcements (NRAs) have been released asking industry, academia and other organizations to propose propulsion technologies designed to improve our ability to conduct scientific study of the outer planets and beyond. The ISP Program is managed by NASA HQ (Headquarters) and implemented by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Carroll, Carol↗
NASA NTRS2015

Xenon Acquisition Strategies for High-Power Electric Propulsion NASA Missions

The benefits of high-power solar electric propulsion (SEP) for both NASA's human and science exploration missions combined with the technology investment from the Space Technology Mission Directorate have enabled the development of a 50kW-class SEP mission. NASA mission concepts developed, including the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission, and those proposed by contracted efforts for the 30kW-class demonstration have a range of xenon propellant loads from 100's of kg up to 10,000 kg. A xenon propellant load of 10 metric tons represents greater than 10% of the global annual production rate of xenon. A single procurement of this size with short-term delivery can disrupt the xenon market, driving up pricing, making the propellant costs for the mission prohibitive. This paper examines the status of the xenon industry worldwide, including historical xenon supply and pricing. The paper discusses approaches for acquiring on the order of 10 MT of xenon propellant considering realistic programmatic constraints to support potential near-term NASA missions. Finally, the paper will discuss acquisitions strategies for mission campaigns utilizing multiple high-power solar electric propulsion vehicles requiring 100's of metric tons of xenon over an extended period of time where a longer term acquisition approach could be implemented.

Electric Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS2000

Propulsion Options For Interstellar Exploration

NASA is considering missions to explore near-interstellar space (40 - 250 Astronomical Units) early in the next decade as the first step toward a vigorous interstellar exploration program. A key enabling technology for such an ambitious science and exploration effort is a propulsion system capable of providing fast trip times, yet which has low enough mass to allow for the use of inexpensive launch vehicles. Advanced propulsion technologies that might support the First interstellar precursor mission by the end of the first decade of the new millennium include solar sails and nuclear electric propulsion. Solar sails and electric propulsion are two technology areas that may hold promise for the next generation of interstellar precursor missions as well - perhaps a thousand astronomical units traveled in a professional lifetime. Future missions to far beyond the Heliosphere will require the development of propulsion technologies that are only at the conceptual stage today. For years, the scientific community has been interested in solar sail and electric propulsion technologies to support robotic exploration of the solar system. Progress in thin-film materials fabrication and handling, and advancement in technologies that may enable the deployment of large sails in space are only now maturing to the point where ambitious interstellar precursor missions using sails can be considered. Xenon ion propulsion is now being demonstrated for planetary exploration by the Deep Space 1 mission. The primary issues for the adaptation of electric propulsion to interstellar precursor applications include the development of low specific mass nuclear power systems, engine lifetime, and high power operation. Recent studies of interstellar precursor mission scenarios that use these propulsion systems will be described, and the range of application of each technology will be explored.

Johnson, Les↗
NASA NTRS1988

A small solar electric ion propulsion spacecraft for lunar science

A lightweight spacecraft design concept has been developed which employs solar-electric ion propulsion to conduct a lunar science mission. The design relies on off-the-shelf technology to achieve high reliability and near-term launch readiness status. Overall project costs are kept to a minimum through the concentration of mission objectives, as well as through the minimization of payload launch costs by resort to the Space Shuttle's Get-Away Special canister. Attention is given to the spacecraft's instrumentation configuration.

Salazar, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Concentrators Enhance Solar Power Systems

"Right now, solar electric propulsion is being looked at very seriously," says Michael Piszczor, chief of the photovoltaic and power technologies branch at Glen Research Center. The reason, he explains, originates with a unique NASA mission from the late 1990s. In 1998, the Deep Space 1 spacecraft launched from Kennedy Space Center to test a dozen different space technologies, including SCARLET, or the Solar Concentrator Array with Refractive Linear Element Technology. As a solar array that focused sunlight on a smaller solar cell to generate electric power, SCARLET not only powered Deep Space 1 s instruments but also powered its ion engine, which propelled the spacecraft throughout its journey. Deep Space 1 was the first spacecraft powered by a refractive concentrator design like SCARLET, and also utilized multi-junction solar cells, or cells made of multiple layers of different materials. For the duration of its 38-month mission, SCARLET performed flawlessly, even as Deep Space 1 flew by Comet Borrelly and Asteroid Braille. "Everyone remembers the ion engine on Deep Space 1, but they tend to forget that the SCARLET array powered it," says Piszczor. "Not only did both technologies work as designed, but the synergy between the two, solar power and propulsion together, is really the important aspect of this technology demonstration mission. It was the first successful use of solar electric propulsion for primary propulsion." More than a decade later, NASA is keenly interested in using solar electric propulsion (SEP) for future space missions. A key issue is cost, and SEP has the potential to substantially reduce cost compared to conventional chemical propulsion technology. "SEP allows you to use spacecraft that are smaller, lighter, and less costly," says Piszczor. "Even though it might take longer to get somewhere using SEP, if you are willing to trade time for cost and smaller vehicles, it s a good trade." Potentially, SEP could be used on future science missions in orbit around the Earth or Moon, to planets or asteroids, on deep space science missions, and even on exploration missions. In fact, electric propulsion is already being used on Earth-orbiting satellites for positioning.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the Lunar Transit Trajectory Performed by the Power and Propulsion Element of NASA’s Gateway

NASA has committed to returning to the moon, landing the first woman and the next man on its surface. To support a sustained lunar presence, NASA is designing an orbital platform to be assembled in an orbit near the moon called the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO). This platform is known as the Gateway and its purpose it to support missions primarily to the lunar south pole. As NASA continues to study ways to reduce the cost of lunar exploration, a simplification implemented in 2020combinedthe first two elements of the Gateway, the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and NASA’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), onto a single commercial launch vehicle (CLV). When launched together, the PPE and HALO make up the first two elements of NASA’s Gateway and exceed the performance capacity of commercially available launch vehicles to deliver directly to the moon. The delivery of the Gateway is enabled by and takes advantage of the high efficiency of the PPEs high-power Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) system to transfer a significant starting mass from an initial Earth orbit to final insertion into the NRHO. The PPE is a 50-kW class high power solar electric propulsion stage comprised of two different types of electric thruster strings. The SEP system is operated in two different modes, a high thrust and high Isp (specific impulse), to both maximize the final delivered mass and attempt to minimize the time spent in the Van Allen Belts early in the transit trajectory. Additionally, this SEP system brings the capability to the assembled Gateway for transfer between orbits in cislunar space. This paper captures the preliminary low thrust lunar transfer reference trajectory to be flown by the PPE it delivers itself and HALO via a spiral trajectory from launch vehicle insertion to insertion into the NRHO as well as a preliminary reference round trip transfer of the Gateway from the NRHO to a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) using the PPE. Once in its final NRHO, the Gateway is being designed to enable long duration human and robotic exploration of the lunar south pole as a precursor to Mars. The Gateway’s low thrust lunar transit trajectory is envisioned to prove out the application of and flight of a high-power SEP system as a demonstration of technologies applicable to the enabling of future human space exploration.

human exploration↗