This work presents a summary of a detailed performance assessment of the Hall Effect Rocket with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) Technology Demonstration Unit 3 (TDU-3) thruster at the throttle conditions most relevant for the Gateway Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). First, an assessment was performed of TDU-3 performance and stability at the previously-tested throttle points of 300 V/6.25 kW, 400 V/8.33 kW, 500 V/10.42 kW, and 600 V/12.5 kW that confirmed TDU-3 was operating nominally and consistent with historical baselines. TDU-3 performance and stability were then assessed throughout the PPE throttle range of 2.6-12 kW and shown to mirror the characteristics observed at the previously tested conditions. Finally, a statistical estimate for the thrust specification at the expanded set of throttle conditions was computed and found to yield similar tolerance ranges to those calculated for the heritage conditions. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that the demonstrated performance characteristics of the HERMeS design are preserved at the expanded set of throttle conditions relevant to application on PPE.
Extended Performance Characterization of the NASA HERMeS Hall Thruster
2022 AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition ; 2022 ; San Diego, CA, US
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