Interplanetary Mission Performance Assessment of a TANDEM Electric Thruster-Based Spacecraft

The aim of this paper is to analyze the transfer performance of a spacecraft equipped with a TANDEM electric propulsion system in a classical interplanetary mission scenario targeting Mars, Venus, or a near-Earth asteroid. The TANDEM concept is a coaxial, two-channel Hall-effect thruster recently proposed under ESA’s Technology Development Element program. This innovative propulsion system, currently undergoing experimental characterization, is designed to operate at power levels between 3kW and 25kW, delivering a maximum thrust of approximately 1N. Its architecture allows operation using a single channel (internal or external) or both channels simultaneously to achieve maximum thrust. This inherent flexibility enables the definition of advanced control strategies for future missions employing such a propulsion system. In the context of a heliocentric mission scenario, this paper adopts a simplified thrust model based on actual thruster characteristics and a semi-analytical model for spacecraft mass breakdown. Transfer performance is evaluated within an optimization framework in terms of time of flight and the corresponding propellant mass consumption as functions of the main spacecraft design parameters.