NASA unveils revolutionary electric propulsion technology for future space missions

NASA’s new propulsion technology for space exploration

NASA has developed advanced propulsion technology‍ to facilitate future planetary exploration missions using small space probes. Not only will this technology enable new types of planetary science missions, but one of NASA’s commercial partners is already preparing to use it for another purpose: extending the operational life of satellites already in orbit. ⁣Identifying the opportunity for industry to‌use this new technology not only advances NASA’s goal of commercializing⁣ the technology, but could potentially create a path for NASA to‌acquire this important technology from industry for use in future planetary missions.

The new technology

Planetary science missions using small space probes will need to perform challenging propulsive maneuvers, such as achieving planetary escape velocity, orbit capture and more, which require velocity variation (delta-v) capability well in excess of commercial needs typical and at the current state of the art. Therefore, the enabling technology for these small space probe missions is an electric propulsion system capable of performing these high delta-v maneuvers. The propulsion system ‌must⁢ operate at low power (sub-kilowatts) and have a high propellant flow (i.e., the ability ‌to use a high total mass of propellant over ⁣its lifetime) to enable the impulse required to perform these maneuvers.

After many years of research and development, researchers at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have created an electric propulsion system for small space probes to meet these needs: the NASA-H71M sub-kilowatt Hall-effect thruster. Furthermore, the ⁣successful commercialization of this⁤ new thruster will soon provide at least one solution to enable‍ the next generation of small space probe science missions requiring up to an incredible ⁤delta-v of 8 km/s. This technical feat has been achieved thanks to the miniaturization of many advanced high-power solar electric propulsion technologies developed over the last decade for applications such as the power and propulsion element of Gateway, the first human space station around the Moon.

Advantages of this technology for planetary exploration

Small space probes using NASA-H71M electric propulsion technology will be able to autonomously maneuver from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the Moon or even from a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to Mars. This capability ⁢is especially notable because commercial launch opportunities ⁣to LEO and GTO have become routine, and ⁣excess launch capacity from such missions is often sold at low cost ⁣to⁤ deploy secondary space probes. The ability to ⁤conduct missions originating from these close Earth orbits can dramatically increase the throughput and reduce the costs ‍of lunar and Martian science missions.

This propulsive capability⁢ will also increase the reach of secondary space probes, which have historically been limited to scientific objectives that align with the primary mission’s launch trajectory. This new technology will allow secondary missions to deviate substantially from the trajectory of the primary mission, facilitating the exploration⁢ of a broader range of⁣ science targets.

Furthermore, these secondary space probe science missions would typically have only a short period of time to collect data during a high-speed flyby of a distant body. This increased propulsion capability will enable deceleration and orbit insertion on planetoids for long-term scientific studies.

Furthermore, small space probes with such significant propulsion capacity will be better equipped to handle late changes to the primary mission’s launch trajectory. Such changes are frequently a high risk for scientific missions of small space probes with limited on-board propulsion capabilities that depend on the initial launch trajectory to achieve their scientific objective.

Commercial applications

The mega-constellations of small space probes forming in low-Earth orbits have made low-power Hall-effect thrusters the most abundant electric propulsion system used in space today. These systems use propellant very efficiently, allowing for orbit insertion, deorbit, and many years of collision avoidance and repositioning. However, the cost-conscious design of these commercial electric propulsion systems has ⁤ inevitably limited⁣ their endurance capability⁣ to typically ⁤less than ‌a few thousand hours‌ of operation and ⁢these systems can⁤ process only about 10% or⁢ less of a small space probe’s initial mass ‍into propellant.

In contrast, planetary science missions benefiting from NASA-H71M electric propulsion system technology could operate for 15,000 hours and process more than 30% of the small space probe’s initial mass into propellant. This revolutionary capability is well beyond the needs of most commercial LEO missions and comes with a cost premium that makes commercialization for such applications unlikely. Therefore, NASA has sought and continues to seek partnerships with companies developing innovative small space probe commercial mission concepts with unusually high propellant flow requirements⁤.

Collaborating with US industry to find applications for small space probes with propulsion requirements similar to future NASA planetary science missions not only supports US industry in maintaining global leadership in commercial space systems, but creates new commercial opportunities for NASA to acquire these important technologies as planetary missions require it.

NASA continues to mature H71M electric propulsion technologies to broaden the range of data and documentation available to U.S. industry to develop equally advanced and highly capable low-power electric propulsion devices.