Advanced Electric Propulsion System
Spacecraft propulsion system by NASA. 50kW Hall-effect thrusters, now for Lunar Gateway / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) is a solar electric propulsion system for spacecraft that is being designed, developed and tested by NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne for large-scale science missions and cargo transportation.[1] The first application of the AEPS is to propel the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) of the Lunar Gateway,[1] to be launched no earlier than 2025.[2] The PPE module is built by Maxar space solutions in Palo Alto, California. Two identical AEPS engines would consume 25 kW being generated by the roll-out solar array (ROSA) assembly, which can produce over 60 kW of power.[1]
The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for the Lunar Gateway will have a mass of 8-9 metric tons and will be capable of generating 50 kW[3] of solar electric power for its Hall-effect thrusters for maneuverability, which can be supported by chemical monopropellant thrusters for high-thrust attitude control maneuvers.[4]