Due to the successful performance of the NSTAR ion thruster in Deep Space 1 mission, coupled with the recently completed 30,352 hour extended life test (ELT) of the NSTAR flight spare thruster, ion thrusters have become a viable option for future NASA missions. In this paper, detailed measurements of the plasma parameters internal and external to the cathode will presented for the NSTAR cathode up to 13.1A of discharge current and for the NEXIS cathode up to 30A of discharge current.


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    Title :

    Hollow cathode and thruster discharge chamber plasma measurements


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    29th International Electric Propulsion Conference ; 2005 ; Princeton, NJ, United States


    Publication date :

    2005-10-01


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English





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