In the post cold war, the United States Air Force is challenged by the need for increased maneuverability of the U.S. space assets, and the need to reduce launch costs. These needs have spawned the Electric Propulsion Space Experiment (ESEX). ESEX will address key issues associated with high power arcjets. Measuring performance in space and interactions on the spacecraft of this new plasma propulsion system will provide the first step towards the operational use of high power arcjets. Currently, the program is nearing completion of the second phase, in which the subsystems are being built, tested, and integrated into a flight unit. In the third phase, the flight unit environmental tests will be performed. In the last phases, the flight unit will fly aboard the P91-1 spacecraft, the Advanced Research Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) in late 1995.
Overview of the Air Force ESEX Flight Experiment
1993
8 pages
Report
No indication
English
Electric & Ion Propulsion , Rocket Engines & Motors , Space environments , Arc jet engines , Electric propulsion , High power , Flight testing , Experimental data , Spacecraft , Propulsion systems , Cold war , Launching , Environmental tests , Military satellites , Postwar operations , Esex(Electric propulsion space experiment) , Argos(Advanced research global observation satellite)
Electric Propulsion Space Experiment (Esex) Flight Qualification and Operations
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1995
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