NASA Solar Technology Application Readiness

The purpose of NSTAR program was to develop a xenon-fueled ion propulsion system for deep space missions. The NSTAR electrostatic ion thruster was developed at NASA's Glenn Research Center and manufactured by Hughes, and Spectrum Astro, Inc. in the early 1990s. The feed system development was a collaborative effort between JPL and Moog Inc. with a thrust of 20-92 mN, a specific impulse of 19000-30500 N·s/kg (1950-3100 s) and a total impulse capability of 2.65 ×106 Ns on DS1. "The 30-cm ion thruster operates over a 0.5 kW to 2.3 kW input power range providing thrust from 19 mN to 92 mN. The specific impulse ranges from 1900 s at 0.5 kW to 3100 s at 2.3 kW." ==Applications==

Deep Space The NSTAR ion thruster was first used on the Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft, launched on 24 October 1998. The Deep Space mission carried out a flyby of asteroid 9969 Braille and Comet Borrelly. Deep Space 1 had 178 pounds (81 kilograms) of xenon propellant, with a total impulse capability of 2.65 ×106 Ns Dawn The second interplanetary mission using NSTAR engine was the Dawn spacecraft, launched in 2007 with three redundant units with a 30 cm diameter each. Dawn is the first NASA exploratory mission to use ion propulsion to enter and leave more than one orbit. Dawn carried 425 kg (937 lb) of on-board xenon propellant, and was able to perform a velocity change of 25,700 mph (11.49 km/s) over the mission. Proposed uses NASA engineers state that NSTAR engines, in the 5-kilowatt and 0.04 pound-thrust range, are candidates for propelling spacecraft to Europa, Pluto, and other small bodies in deep space. ==See also==