Development of a Hall-effect thruster with integrated thrust vector control, concept and test results

While traditional Hall-effect thrusters are known for their high specific impulse and efficiency, they require additional mechanical components to achieve the precise thrust vector control required for orbital maneuvers and attitude corrections. These additional components can impact the overall system performance by increasing weight, volume, complexity, and susceptibility to failure. To address these issues, the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) has developed an innovative Hall-effect thruster with a segmented anode, the TUD-3D-1. This design allows thrust vector control in all three spatial directions solely by manipulating the ion beam, eliminating the need for additional mechanical components. The paper explains the underlying principles, as well as potential benefits of this advanced thruster technology and presents test results of the prototype.