TY  - CHAP
A1  - Schartner, Karl-Heinz
A1  - Loeb, H. W.
A1  - Dachwald, Bernd
A1  - Ohndorf, Andreas
T1  - Perspectives of electric propulsion for outer planetary and deep space missions
T2  - European Planetary Science Congress 2009
N2  - Solar-electric propulsion (SEP) is superior with
respect to payload capacity, flight time and
flexible launch window to the conventional
interplanetary transfer method using chemical
propulsion combined with gravity assists. This fact
results from the large exhaust velocities of electric
low–thrust propulsion and is favourable also for
missions to the giant planets, Kuiper-belt objects
and even for a heliopause probe (IHP) as shown in
three studies by the authors funded by DLR. They
dealt with a lander for Europa and a sample return
mission from a mainbelt asteroid [1], with the
TANDEM mission [2]; the third recent one
investigates electric propulsion for the transfer to
the edge of the solar system.
All studies are based on triple-junction solar arrays,
on rf-ion thrusters of the qualified RIT-22 type and
they use the intelligent trajectory optimization
program InTrance [3].
Y1  - 2009
N1  - European Planetary Science Congress 2009, 13-18 September, Potsdam, Germany
SP  - 416
EP  - 416
ER  -