SPT-140 is a solar-powered Hall-effect ion thruster, part of the SPT-family of thrusters. SPT stands for Stationary Plasma Thruster. [1] [2] Like other members of the SPT series, it creates a stream of electrically charged xenon ions accelerated by an electric field and confined by a magnetic field. [3]
The thruster is manufactured by the Russian OKB Fakel, who collaborated during development with NASA's Glenn Research Center, Space Systems Loral, and Pratt & Whitney beginning in the late 1980s. [4] [5] It was first tested at the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory in 1997. [6] In 2002, it was tested as a 3.5 kW unit by the United States Air Force as part of its Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology program. [7] In 2023, the thruster was launched aboard NASA's Psyche spacecraft. [8]
SPT-140 | Parameter/units [9] [10] |
---|---|
Type | Hall-effect thruster |
Power [11] | Max: 4.5 kW Min: 900 watts |
Specific impulse (Isp) | 1800 seconds |
Thrust | 280 mN [10] |
Thruster mass | 8.5 kg |
This article needs additional or more specific
categories. (October 2023) |
SPT-140 is a solar-powered Hall-effect ion thruster, part of the SPT-family of thrusters. SPT stands for Stationary Plasma Thruster. [1] [2] Like other members of the SPT series, it creates a stream of electrically charged xenon ions accelerated by an electric field and confined by a magnetic field. [3]
The thruster is manufactured by the Russian OKB Fakel, who collaborated during development with NASA's Glenn Research Center, Space Systems Loral, and Pratt & Whitney beginning in the late 1980s. [4] [5] It was first tested at the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory in 1997. [6] In 2002, it was tested as a 3.5 kW unit by the United States Air Force as part of its Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology program. [7] In 2023, the thruster was launched aboard NASA's Psyche spacecraft. [8]
SPT-140 | Parameter/units [9] [10] |
---|---|
Type | Hall-effect thruster |
Power [11] | Max: 4.5 kW Min: 900 watts |
Specific impulse (Isp) | 1800 seconds |
Thrust | 280 mN [10] |
Thruster mass | 8.5 kg |
This article needs additional or more specific
categories. (October 2023) |