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Aerospace
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Space Electric Propulsion Technology
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Space Electric Propulsion Technology

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 4724

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Liqiu Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: space electric propulsion technology; gas discharge; high voltage technology
Prof. Dr. Zhiwen Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: electric propulsion technology; new concept space propulsion technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Space electric propulsion, due to its main characteristics of high specific impulse and micro thrust, is playing an increasingly prominent role in space engineering such as long-life satellites, deep space exploration, and non-drag control, becoming the forefront of space propulsion technology and receiving attention from countries around the world. The successful applications of the Smart-1, Hayabusa, Deep Space 1, and Shijian satellites mark the gradual maturity of electric propulsion technology and the increasing importance in the future of the aerospace field. Space Electric Propulsion Technology has gone through a long period of development and reserve, and has made solid progress in ion thruster, Hall thruster, Arcjet, Pulse Plasma Propulsion, Magneto Plasma Dynamic (MPD) thruster, Colloid and electrospray thrusters, and other aspects. Electric propulsion is currently considered by all space actors as a key and revolutionary technology for the new generations of commercial and scientific satellites. Initiatives in this field all over the world are aimed at the development of competitive new generations of electric propulsion systems for the different types of markets and applications. We hope this Special Issue on the topic of Space Electric Propulsion Technology can expand the latest research achievements in electric propulsion technology and its applications.

Prof. Dr. Liqiu Wei
Prof. Dr. Zhiwen Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electric propulsion device
  • electric propulsion physics
  • electric propulsion application
  • electric propulsion progress

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2707 KiB  
Article
The Reliability Modeling and Evaluation of a Cusped Field Thruster When Undertaking a Gravitational Wave Detection Mission
by Yu Chen, Jianing Wu, Yan Shen and Shuai Cao
Aerospace 2024, 11(5), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11050329 - 23 Apr 2024
Viewed by 985
Abstract
The propulsion system, particularly electric propulsion, holds immense significance in the context of gravitational wave detection missions. One of the key factors of a deep space exploration mission is the lifetime of the electric propulsion. Ensuring the high reliability of the propulsion system [...] Read more.
The propulsion system, particularly electric propulsion, holds immense significance in the context of gravitational wave detection missions. One of the key factors of a deep space exploration mission is the lifetime of the electric propulsion. Ensuring the high reliability of the propulsion system is of paramount importance; however, achieving this is challenging in the absence of adequate failure data. Conducting ground tests for a thruster tends to encounter two limitations: a lack of failure data and time constraints. To address these challenges, we propose a semi-physics sputtering method that combines a physical erosion model with empirical processes. In this study, we focus on evaluating the lifespan of a cusped field thruster (CFT) for potential application in gravitational wave detection missions. Our analysis revolves around modeling non-conservative forces in a space environment and examining their impact on a thruster’s longevity. The results indicate that, in gravitational wave missions, the survival rate of a thruster’s lifespan at 8000 h is 0.75. At a constant voltage of 500 V, the maximum corrosion depth after 5000 h is 3.1 mm, while the minimum is 0.49 mm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Electric Propulsion Technology)
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12 pages, 3156 KiB  
Article
Time-of-Flight Measurements in the Jet of a High-Current Vacuum Arc Thruster
by Etienne Michaux and Stéphane Mazouffre
Aerospace 2023, 10(12), 1011; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10121011 - 30 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1343
Abstract
Measurements of ion speed in the plume of a pulsed high-current vacuum arc thruster were performed by means of electrostatic probes. The probes were designed to provide direct speed measurements with minimum disturbance on the plasma jet. Typical mean values of vi [...] Read more.
Measurements of ion speed in the plume of a pulsed high-current vacuum arc thruster were performed by means of electrostatic probes. The probes were designed to provide direct speed measurements with minimum disturbance on the plasma jet. Typical mean values of vi for Ti and Cu cathodes are determined at different locations downstream of the electrodes, in the far field region. From one VAT discharge to another, the mean ion speed strongly varies which leads to a large statistical dispersion. Single-shot analysis allows the observation of the plume anisotropy and its high divergence as well as the existence of several ion groups of different speeds throughout a discharge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Electric Propulsion Technology)
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15 pages, 10782 KiB  
Article
Effects of Magnetic Field Gradient on the Performance of a Magnetically Shielded Hall Thruster
by Qi Liu, Yong Li, Yanlin Hu and Wei Mao
Aerospace 2023, 10(11), 942; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10110942 - 5 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1741
Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of a magnetic field gradient on the performance of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster. The Particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collision method (PIC-MCC) is used to simulate the discharge process of the thruster. The [...] Read more.
The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of a magnetic field gradient on the performance of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster. The Particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collision method (PIC-MCC) is used to simulate the discharge process of the thruster. The performance and plasma characteristics are obtained in conditions with different magnetic field gradients by numerical simulations. As the maximum of the gradient is increased from 1.2 to 3.33 T/m, the electron number density near the channel exit decreases, which leads to less ionization and a weaker radial electric field. As a result, the thrust and specific impulse are decreased, while the plume divergence angle is reduced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Electric Propulsion Technology)
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