Next generation, high power Electric Propulsion Systems will require very large and powerful ground test facilities, in order to provide accurate and accountable performance and qualification data obtained during meaningful experiments. Unfortunately no such facility is available within Europe, therefore leaving a major obstacle in front of European organizations willing to access and exploit this technology. In order to address this issue a new large facility (especially intended for EPS testing, but also exploitable as a conventional space simulation chamber) was designed at Centrospazio and is presently being realized in Pisa in a cooperative effort by Centrospazio-CPR and Alta S.r.l. The new facility (composed by a 5 m diameter by 6 m length Main chamber, and at least one 2 m diameter by 3.2 m length Auxiliary Chamber, and featuring a xenon pumping speed up to 750,000 l/s), is scheduled to be ready for initial testing during 2001.
A High-Power Electric Propulsion Test Facility
ANDRENUCCI, MARIANO;MARCUCCIO, SALVO
2000-01-01
Abstract
Next generation, high power Electric Propulsion Systems will require very large and powerful ground test facilities, in order to provide accurate and accountable performance and qualification data obtained during meaningful experiments. Unfortunately no such facility is available within Europe, therefore leaving a major obstacle in front of European organizations willing to access and exploit this technology. In order to address this issue a new large facility (especially intended for EPS testing, but also exploitable as a conventional space simulation chamber) was designed at Centrospazio and is presently being realized in Pisa in a cooperative effort by Centrospazio-CPR and Alta S.r.l. The new facility (composed by a 5 m diameter by 6 m length Main chamber, and at least one 2 m diameter by 3.2 m length Auxiliary Chamber, and featuring a xenon pumping speed up to 750,000 l/s), is scheduled to be ready for initial testing during 2001.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
