Abstract
After 30 years of research, development, and qualification work of radio-frequency ion thrusters (RIT), the RIT 10 engine has now been tested successfully in space onboard the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA). RIT 10 produces a thrust of 10 mN and is designed for north–south stationkeeping of geosynchronous satellites. Besides, the European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC) plans to implement ion propulsion in their technological satellite ARTEMIS, where ion thrusters shall be used operationally for north–south stationkeeping. In parallel, development and tests of a scaled-up 50 mN engine RIT 15 have been continued successfully with xenon and krypton as propellants. A large ion engine with a 35 cm ionizer diameter, the RIT 35, has been developed for primary propulsion of interplanetary probes aiming at a thrust level in the 250 mN range. A laboratory prototype has been subjected to extensive testing and performance mapping. Recently, this work has been continued in European cooperation due to a redirection of contracts. The ion source diameter has been reduced to 26 cm but the performance should be kept using a British high perveance grid at the German rf-ion source.
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