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Early model of the Busek BHT-200 Hall thruster
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  T-40            
 

The T-40 Hall Effect Thruster is an ideal size for orbit adjustment for small satellites and east-west station keeping for large satellite systems.  The T-40 operates at 0.1 to 0.4 kW and produces 5 to 20 mN of thrust with specific impulse values varying between 1,000 and 1,600 seconds, depending on operational conditions.  The T-40 has undergone successful demonstration testing at the Air Force Research Laboratory and is currently being prepared for complete system qualification testing.

 
               
  T-140            
 

The T-140 Hall Effect Thruster is an ideal size for north-south station keeping for large satellites.  The T-140 operates at 1.8 to 4.5 kW and produces 160 to 300 mN of thrust with specific impulse values varying between 1,800 and 2,200 seconds, depending on operational conditions.  This system has undergone successful demonstration testing and is currently under evaluation for complete system qualification testing

 
               
             
  T-220HT

The T-220 is the largest Hall effect thruster in the family. The first version of this engine was tested at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). The T-220HT is the high-power, high-thrust version.  The T-220HT is an ideal size for orbit insertion and orbit transfer of large satellite systems.  The T-220 or T-220HT can also be configured to operate in a dual mode: low specific impulse-high thrust for orbit insertion/transfer and high specific impulse-low thrust for station keeping.

The T-220 thrusters operate at 7 to 20 kW and produce 0.5 to 1.0 N of thrust with specific impulse values varying between 1,500 and 2,500 seconds, depending on operational conditions.  The T-220 has undergone successful demonstration testing at NASA GRC for 1,000 hours and demonstrated about 2,500 seconds of specific impulse with very low material erosion.

The T-220HT has undergone extensive performance mapping under orbit transfer conditions at NASA GRC.  The profile of the exhaust plume and radiated electromagnetic noise have also been measured.  The results show that the T-220HT has a very narrow exhaust plume and it is electromagnetically very quiet.

 
           
Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters:  Georgia Tech version of the NASA Glenn Research Center MW-class thruster
MPDT 1          
           
Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster Magnetic Nozzle:  Collaboration with Tethers Unlimited Inc.
MPDT Nozzle          
    Annular Helicon Plasma Source
 

   
 

Operating with argon

 
 

Helicon Plasma Source

   
      Operating with ammonia
     

Gridded RF Thruster

 
       
  660 W RF Power, Operating with ammonia      
           
 

Pulsed Inductive Thruster

(PIT Mk VI)

     
       
     
   

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