Ongoing development of advanced, high-specific-impulse ion propulsion systems may prove to be the important first step toward a more efficient and economical propulsion system for North-South stationkeeping (NSSK) of geosynchronous communications satellites. Propellant reductions on the order of 10 to 1 can be achieved by using ion propulsion in place of chemical propulsion because of the 10-times-higher velocity of the ion beam as compared with a chemical rocket exhaust. Also, in a modern communications satellite, electrical power required to operate the ion thrusters is obtained essentially free of cost. During solar eclipse, when the satellite's solar panels cannot generate electrical power, batteries with sufficient energy are used onboard for operation of the communications payload.
Ion propulsion offers precise low-cost stationkeeping for satellites
Ionenantriebe senken die Kosten bei Satelliten
Defense Electronics ; 16 , 7 ; 55-68
1984
14 Seiten
Article (Journal)
English
Ion propulsion for north-south stationkeeping of communications satellites
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