Concept and design of a hall-effect thruster with integrated thrust vector control

Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) are among the most commonly used propulsion systems for attitude and orbit control of satellites. As an arrangement in a cluster or individually, equipped with a mechanical suspension, thrust in all three spatial directions can be generated, but requires additional mechanisms and components. Therefore, the Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) is currently working on a concept for developing a Hall-effect thruster with integrated thrust vector control, which would allow steering in all three spatial directions with just a single thruster. This new concept is intended to work solely by influencing the ion beam and should not have any additional mechanical components. The HET will come with a segmented anode to set different electrical potentials at the anode and cause an inhomogeneous distribution of the electric field within the discharge channel, which results in an inhomogeneous force vector distribution at the exit plane. It is assumed that this will generate turning moments around the center of gravity. Deliberately causing those turning moments can therefore be used for steering with just one thruster. This work presents the concept of the propulsion system, gives an outlook on the advantages of its technology and shows capabilities for space applications. © The Author(s) 2022.