Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T06:04:45.897Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Modelling ion propulsion plume interactions with spacecraft in formation flight

Part of: Sustainable Aerospace

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2016

R. Kafafy  and
Y. Cao
R. Kafafy
Affiliation:
International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Y. Cao
Affiliation:
Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper presents a simulation study of ion thruster plume effects on formation flying spacecraft. Two formation flight applications using micro-ion propulsion are considered: an L2-Halo orbit interferometer formation and a LEO micro-satellite formation. Worst case scenarios in both missions have been investigated. We focus our study on thruster configurations resulting in possible indirect plume impingement on satellites outside of the direct impingement zone. Indirect impingement which cannot be predicted except through plasma simulation or in-flight measurements might expose critical spacecraft elements such as optical sensors to a harsh contamination environment. A high-fidelity electrostatic plasma simulation code for parallel computing platforms was used in the study.

In our study, we found that using miniature scale ion propulsion in both formation missions creates a very low charge-exchange plasma environment which results in tolerable contamination environment for other spacecraft in the formation.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 114 , Issue 1157 , July 2010 , pp. 417 - 426
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2010 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Vignal, P. and Pernick, H., Low-thrust spacecraft formation keeping, J Spacecraft and Rockets, 2006, 43, (2).Google Scholar
2. Samanta Roy, R.I., Hastings, D.E. and Gatsonis, N.A., Ion-thruster plume modelling for backflow contamination, J Spacecraft and Rockets, 1996, 33, (4).Google Scholar
3. Vangilder, D.B., Font, G.I. and Boyd, I.D., Hybrid Monte Carlo–particle-in-cell simulation of an ion thruster plume, J Propulsion and Power, 1999, 15, (4).Google Scholar
4. Wang, J., Brinza, D.E., Young, D., Nordholt, J., Polk, J., Henry, M., Goldstein, R., Hanley, J., Lawrence, D. and Shappirio, M., Deep Space 1 Investigations of ion propulsion plasma environment, J Spacecraft and Rockets, 2000, 37, (5), pp 545–555.Google Scholar
5. Brinza, D., Henry, M., Mactutis, A., McCarty, K., Rademacher, J., Van Zandt, T., Narvaez, P., Wang, J., Tsurutani, B. and Katz, I., An overview of results from the Ion propulsion diagnostics sensors flown on DS1, AIAA 2001-0966, 39th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, Nevada, USA, 8-11 January, 2001.Google Scholar
6. Brinza, D., Wang, J., Polk, J. and Henry, M., Deep space 1 measurements of ion propulsion contamination, J Spacecraft and Rockets, 2001, 38, (3), pp 426–432.Google Scholar
7. Wang, J., Brinza, D. and Young, M., Three-dimensional particle simulation modelling of ion propulsion plasma environment for deep space 1, J Spacecraft and Rockets, 2001, 38, (3).Google Scholar
8. Mandell, M.J., Mikellides, I.G., Johnson, L.K. and Katz, I., A high power ion thruster plume model, July 2004, 40th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, AIAA 2004–3816.Google Scholar
9. Celik, M. and Martinez-Sanchez, M., Numerical simulation of the electric thruster plume environment around the TPF spacecraft, July 2005, 41st AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, Tucson, Arizona, USA, AIAA 2005-404.Google Scholar
10. Wang, J., Cao, Y., Kafafy, R., Pierru, J. and Decyk, V.K., Simulations of Ion thruster plume spacecraft interactions on parallel supercomputer, trans. plasma science, 2006, 34, pp 2148–2158.Google Scholar
11. Kafafy, R. and Wang, J., A Hybrid grid immersed finite element particle-in-cell algorithm for modelling spacecraft-plasma interactions, Trans Plasma Science, 2006, 34, (5).Google Scholar
12. Dooley, J.A. and Lawson, P.R., Technology plan for the terrestrial planet finder interferometer, June 2005, Technical report, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA.Google Scholar
13. Wilson, A. and Marsden, R., ESA’s Report to the 35th COSPAR Meeting, July 2006, Technical report, Beijing, China.Google Scholar
14. European Space Agency, DARWIN, www.esa.int/science/ darwin, retrieved 12 January 2010.Google Scholar
15. Birdsall, C.K. and Langdon, A.B., Plasma Physics via Computer Simulation, 1991, Series in Plasma Physics, The Institute of Physics.Google Scholar
16. Kafafy, R., Lin, T., Lin, Y. and Wang, J., Three dimensional immersed finite element methods For electric field simulation In composite materials, Int J Numerical Methods Engineering, 2005, 64, pp 940–972.Google Scholar
17. Kafafy, R., Immersed Finite Element Particle-In-Cell Simulations of ion Propulsion, September 2005, PhD Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.Google Scholar
18. Rapp, D. and Francis, W.E., Charge exchange between gaseous ions and atoms, J Chemical Physics, 37, 1962, pp 2631–2645.Google Scholar
19. Rutherford, J.A. and Vroom, D.A., Charge transfer cross sections for Hg+, Xe+, and Cs+ in collision with various metals and carbon, J Chemical Physics, 1981, 74, pp 434–441.Google Scholar
20. Wang, J., Polk, J., Brophy, J. and Katz, I., Three-dimensional particle simulations of ion thruster optics plasma flow and grid erosion, J Propulsion and Power, 2003, 19, (6), pp 1192–1199.Google Scholar
21. Doerner, R.P., Whyte, D.G. and Goebel, D.M., Sputtering yield measurements during low energy xenon plasma bombardment, J Applied Physics, 2003, 93, pp 5816–5823.Google Scholar
22. Doerner, R.P. and Goebel, D.M., Sputtering yields of ion thruster grid and cathode materials during very low energy xenon plasma bombardment, July 2003, 39th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, Huntsville, Alabama, USA, AIAA 2003-4561.Google Scholar
23. Polk, J., Brophy, J.A.J., Rawlin, V., Patterson, M., Sovey, J. and Hamley, J., An overview of the results from an 8200 hour wear test of the NSTAR ion thruster, June 1999, 35th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Conference and Exhibit, Los Angeles, California, USA, AIAA 1999-2446.Google Scholar
24. Liewer, P. and Decyk, V., A general concurrent algorithm for plasma particle-in-cell simulation codes, J Computational Physics, 1989, 85, pp 302–322.Google Scholar
25. Wang, J. and Decyk, V., 3D Electromagnetic plasma particle simulations on a MIMD parallel computer, Computer Physics Communications, 1995, 87, pp 35–53.Google Scholar
26. Decyk, V. and Norton, C., The UCLA parallel PIC framework, Computer Physics Communications, 2004, 164, pp 80–85.Google Scholar