NASA Thruster Achieves World-Record 5+ Years of Operation

June 24, 2013

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Katherine K. Martin
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
216-433-2406
katherine.martin@nasa.gov

Glenn Mahone
Aerojet Rocketdyne
202-302-9941
glenn.mahone@rocket.com

RELEASE: 13-193

NASA THRUSTER ACHIEVES WORLD-RECORD 5+ YEARS OF OPERATION

CLEVELAND -- A NASA advanced ion propulsion engine has successfully
operated for more than 48,000 hours, or 5 and a half years, making it
the longest test duration of any type of space propulsion system
demonstration project ever.

The thruster was developed under NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster
(NEXT) Project at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Glenn
manufactured the test engine's core ionization chamber. Aerojet
Rocketdyne of Sacramento, Calif., designed and built the ion
acceleration assembly.

The 7-kilowatt class thruster could be used in a wide range of science
missions, including deep space missions identified in NASA's
Planetary Science Decadal Survey.

"The NEXT thruster operated for more than 48,000 hours," said Michael
J. Patterson, principal investigator for NEXT at Glenn. "We will
voluntarily terminate this test at the end of this month, with the
thruster fully operational. Life and performance have exceeded the
requirements for any anticipated science mission."

The NEXT engine is a type of solar electric propulsion in which
thruster systems use the electricity generated by the spacecraft's
solar panel to accelerate the xenon propellant to speeds of up to
90,000 mph. This provides a dramatic improvement in performance
compared to conventional chemical rocket engines.

During the endurance test performed in a high vacuum test chamber at
Glenn, the engine consumed about 1,918 pounds (870 kilograms) of
xenon propellant, providing an amount of total impulse that would
take more than 22,000 (10,000 kilograms) of conventional rocket
propellant for comparable applications.

"Aerojet Rocketdyne fully supports NASA's vision to develop high power
solar electric propulsion for future exploration," said Julie Van
Kleeck, Aerojet Rocketdyne's vice president for space advanced
programs. "NASA-developed next generation high power solar electric
propulsion systems will enhance our nation's ability to perform
future science and human exploration missions."

The NEXT project is a technology development effort led by Glenn to
develop a next generation electric propulsion system, including power
processing, propellant management and other components. The project,
conducted under the In-Space Propulsion Technology Program at Glenn,
is managed by NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Aerojet Rocketdyne provides propulsion expertise for domestic and
international markets. For more information about Aerojet Rocketdyne,
visit:

http://www.Rocket.com

To view the NEXT ion engine in operation, visit:

http://go.nasa.gov/16v9y8g

The Planetary Science Decadal Survey can be viewed online at:

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/2013decadal/

For more information about programs at Glenn, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/glenn

Information about NASA programs is available online at:

http://www.nasa.gov


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