MaRe-HCT · Magnetic Reconnection Hollow Cathode Thruster

Magnetic Reconnection Hollow Cathode Thruster

The 21st Century signed a new era of the space race, with potential groundbreaking perspectives in the outer space missions. Commercial low-Earth orbit constellations for global connectivity, the Cislunar space station and the potential return of mankind on the moon, and robotic exploration of the regions of the solar system never reached before are just a few examples of the opportunities that emerge from the so-called New Space Economy. However, this new space race has also brought its unique set of challenges. Rapid astronauts’ transport and cargo re-supply to establish the infrastructure for long-term human presence on the moon and to enable human exploration of Mars have accentuated the need for adequate in-space propulsion systems. In fact, the total delta-V (i.e. the energetic requirements) necessary to complete today’s and tomorrow’s space missions is becoming more and more demanding. In this context, the propulsion system is required to provide this large amount of delta-V with the lowest propellant consumption. MaRe-HCT offers an innovative and potentially groundbreaking solution for these challenges: a novel electric propulsion concept based on magnetic reconnection as main acceleration mechanism. The main goal of MaRe-HCT was the investigation of magnetic reconnection as main acceleration source in an innovative plasma propulsion technology. Magnetic reconnection is the process whereby magnetic field lines break and then reconnect to form a different topology. In general, it allows the conversion of stored magnetic energy into the particles’ kinetic energy, which results in a significantly more effective acceleration of the present particles than in the classical case. This project investigated the development of a novel plasma propulsion concept which relies on hollow cathodes as plasma source, and on magnetic reconnection as acceleration mechanism. Three main objectives have been depicted: ❖ Objective 1: Investigation of magnetic reconnection phenomena in the plasma generated by a high current hollow cathode. ❖ Objective 2: Identification of the main parameters to control the instabilities and the magnetic reconnection phenomena. ❖ Objective 3: Develop and test a proof-of-concept of the magnetic reconnection thruster to achieve Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 for the proposed solution.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union