Development and Application Prospect of Space Electric Propulsion Technology

Abstract

Space electric propulsion technology has entered a new stage of maturity and full application in China. In order to further promote and accelerate the development of electric propulsion technology, this paper adopted the methods of investigation and comparative analysis and used the power as the standard to classify and summarize space electric propulsion from the three power ranges of "medium, micro, and ultra". It also focused on the application requirements for electric propulsion in future space missions and the characteristics of various technical directions of electric propulsion. The development status and shortcomings of electric propulsion technology at home and abroad were put forward, as well as the key difficulties to be overcome. The main development trend was studied and judged, and the common problems were summarized. Proposals for the development of space electric propulsion technology in the next 10 years were put forward for the reference of satellite users, departments of overall design, and technical departments of space electric propulsion.

Keywords

• electric propulsion technology
• ion electric thruster
• hall electric thruster
• satellite
• plasma