Characterization and Far-Field Plume Analysis on the HET-X Hall Effect Thruster

The performance of the Earth Observant Inc. novel 600W Hall effect thruster prototype, designated HET-X, is characterized from 300 W to 1100 W at a facility operating pressure range of 7E-6 to 5E-7 Torr on xenon gas. The performance characterization includes time-resolved measurements of the discharge current oscillations during IVB mapping. A Faraday probe and retarding potential analyzer were used to measure the ion current density profile from −90° to +90° and the ion energy distribution function, respectively. The calculated beam divergence, current utilization, and voltage utilization efficiencies are 92.4%, 85.4%, and 93.6%. The thruster achieves a maximum performance of 38.7% efficiency at a maximum Isp of 1576 s. The maximum T/P ratio is 70.2 mN/kW.