Characterization of a 100-kW Class Nested-Channel Hall Thruster

Abstract: The next generation of electric propulsion consists of systems in excess of 300 kW of power. These systems enable a wide variety of missions, including crewed missions to near-Earth asteroids and Mars. Hall thrusters are a particularly attractive technology for these missions, but development and demonstration of 100-kW class devices has been limited to date. Here, a 100-kW class three-channel nested Hall thruster called the X3 was operated up to 102 kW total discharge power. The three channe…