PERFORMANCE PARAMETER ANALYSIS OF THE MODERATE AND HIGHER POWER ION THRUSTER

Within a comprehensive investigation in moderate and higher power ion thrusters,their main performance parameters were analized and some useful experiential relations of these performance parameters with power were obtained.The predicted high-point performance of moderate and higher power ion thruster was presented based on these experiential relations.It is pointed out that the ion thruster,which with the state of the art in technologies,cannot meet the requirement for future very high power electric propulsion mission.