Development and Performance Test of a 50 W-class Hall thruster

Abstract

A 50 W-class Hall thruster was developed and its performance was evaluated. The combination of a permanent magnet and electromagnet was utilized to produce magnetic fields. The developed thruster showed stable operation in the power range 42–74 W with anode voltage of 160–280 V. The measured values of thrust, specific impulse, and anode efficiency are 2.6 mN, 817 s, and 20%, respectively, at 52 W anode power. Current and propellant efficiencies are 0.59–0.65 and 0.55–0.63, respectively, in this power range.