S.1 Spacecraft Propulsion Systems Chapter 1: Introduction to ...

Main Characteristics
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The table below summarizes the main characteristics of some candidate spacecraft
propulsion systems (data listed are indicative only):
Type of Propulsion Thrust level Exhaust Velocity Advantages Disadvantages
System
[N]
[m/s]
Cold Gas (N2) 0.0045 - 10 700 Extremely simple, Very low performance, highest
reliable, very low cost mass of all systems
Monopropellant
0.5 2 200 – 2 300 Simple, reliable, Low performance, higher mass
(Hydrazine)
relatively low cost than bipropellant
Bi-Propellant
4 – 500 2 850 – 3 110 High performance More complicated system than
(MMH/MON)
monopropellant
Solid Propellant 50 – 50 000 2 400 – 3 000 Simple, reliable, low Limited performance, higher
cost
thrust
PACT, Hydrazine
(Power Augmented
Catalytic Thruster)
0.1 – 0.5 3 000 High performance, low
power, simple feed
system
More complicated interfaces,
more power than chemical
thrusters, low thrust
High power, complicated
interfaces (specially thermal)
ARC-JET (Hydrazine) 0.2 5 000 High performance,
simple feed system
Stationary Plasma SPT 0.08 16 000 High performance High power, low thrust,
100 (Ion Engine)
complicated
Kaufman, UK-10 (Ion- 0.011 30 000 Very high performance Very high power, low thrust,
Engine)
complicated
Radio-frequency RIT 10 0.01 31 400 Very high performance Very high power, low thrust,
(Ion-Engine)
complicated
Field-Emission 10 -5 – 2·10 -3 60 000 -100 000 Extreme high
Very high power, very low
performance
thrust