Status of US testing of the High Performance Hall System SPT-140 Hall thruster
The High Performance Hall System (HPHS) program supports the development and flight qualification of a 4.5 kW electric propulsion system that includes the SPT-140 Hall thruster. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and International Space Technology, Inc. (ISTI) are co-funding the HPHS program which is being conducted by a team led by Atlantic Research Corporation (ARC). The team includes ISTI, Experimental Design Bureau Fakel (Fakel), and Space Systems/Loral (S/SL). The Research Institute of Applied Mechanics and Electrodynamics (RJAME) also provided support for this project. The SPT-140 is being designed, developed, manufactured, and tested by Fakel in Kaliningrad, Russia, where extensive performance testing and advanced development have been performed. In addition to the testing in Russia, a suite of experiments on the development model and the qualification model thrusters, sponsored by the US Government, has occurred during 1999 and is scheduled to occur in 2000. These experiments include thruster performance, plume characterization, electromagnetic compatibility, and life characterization. This paper presents the status of government testing of the SPT-140 in the United States.
