Phase II year
2026
(last award dollars: 1777029182)
Busek proposes to develop a novel fueled Hall thruster propulsion system for VLEO applications. The complete system will include a thruster (anode and cathode), propellant storage and feed system, and power electronics. This thruster will have high performance, similar to that of a xenon Hall thruster, but with vastly superior size, weight and power (SWaP). The centerpiece of this system is an extended lifetime Hall thruster which was developed and demonstrated with internal and commercial funds. The overall goal of the proposed D2P2 effort is to demonstrate a novel fueled propulsion system suitable for VLEO missions. Activities will include designing, building, and testing laboratory and engineering model hardware. Phase II would culminate with Technology Readiness Level 5-6 demonstration in a relevant environment
