Multimegawatt electric propulsion for Mars missions

Abstract

This paper summarizes an evaluation of multimegawatt (MMW) nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) and solar electric propulsion (SEP) for a piloted Mars exploration scenario. The figures of merit used in this study were total initial mass in low earth orbit (IMLEO) and the trip time. The MMW NEP and SEP systems to an aerobraked chemical (O2/H2) propulsion system are compared. A good performance compromise between a low IMLEO and short trip time can be obtained using MMW NEP systems; they can be both lighter and faster than the baseline chemical system. However, a MMW SEP system does not appear capable of providing as short a trip time as MMW NEP, in part due to the higher specific mass and non-constant power output of a SEP system.