Propulsion is a critical subsystem of many spacecraft,,–. For efficient propellant usage,
electric propulsion systems based on the electrostatic acceleration of ions formed during …

Iodine is emerging as an attractive alternative propellant to xenon for several electric
propulsion technologies due to its significantly lower cost and its ability to be stored …

Retarding field energy analyzers and Langmuir probes are routinely used to obtain ion and
electron-energy distribution functions (IEDF and EEDF). These typically require knowledge …

Abstract Objects in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) experience a range of environmental conditions
that influence their trajectories. Aside from gravitational effects and solar radiation pressure …

This article provides information about the sizing and standardization of a Faraday cup (FC)
used as a plasma diagnostic. This instrument is used to accurately map the ion beam profile …

In this paper, we complete a full-thrust audit of an iodine-based gridded ion thruster. Prior
results have demonstrated excellent agreement between indirect and direct laboratory thrust …

Featured Application Over the last decade electric propulsion devices have evolved from
laboratory units to qualified space hardware. Due to the diversity of concepts numerous …

Ion-induced secondary electron emission (SEE) is a fundamental surface interaction that
strongly influences many plasma discharges. Recently, interest in iodine plasmas is growing …

The installation of a propulsion device in space missions requires the thrust vector to be in
line with the centroid of the satellite platform. If the installation is eccentric, interference …

In recent years, two promising technologies emerged to improve the performance and
decrease the cost of ion thrusters; RF biasing of ion acceleration grids and the use of iodine …