Perspectives of electric propulsion for outer planetary and deep space missions

  • 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].

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Metadaten
Author:Karl-Heinz Schartner, H. W. Loeb, Bernd DachwaldORCiD, Andreas Ohndorf
Parent Title (English):European Planetary Science Congress 2009
Document Type:Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Year of Completion:2009
Length:1
First Page:416
Last Page:416
Note:
European Planetary Science Congress 2009, 13-18 September, Potsdam, Germany
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253512384_Perspectives_of_Electric_Propulsion_for_Outer_Planetary_and_Deep_Space_Missions
Institutes:FH Aachen / Fachbereich Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik
FH Aachen / IfB - Institut für Bioengineering