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Advanced Electric Propulsion System

The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) is a high-power solar electric propulsion technology developed by NASA, featuring Hall current thrusters that ionize xenon gas to generate efficient, low-thrust acceleration for spacecraft in deep space environments.^[1] Operating at 12 kilowatts, each thruster produces approximately 600 millinewtons of thrust and a specific impulse of about 2800 seconds, enabling significant fuel savings compared to traditional chemical propulsion systems.^[2] This makes AEPS the most powerful electric propulsion system currently in production, designed primarily to support NASA's Lunar Gateway station by providing propulsion for orbit insertion, maintenance, and potential deep-space maneuvers.^[3] Initiated in May 2016 through a partnership between NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne (now part of L3Harris Technologies), the AEPS program builds on prior Hall thruster advancements to meet the demands of sustained human presence in cis-lunar space.^[4] Early goals focused on developing a throttleable system capable of 13 kilowatts, but the design settled on 12 kilowatts for optimized performance, with key components including the thruster, power processing unit, and xenon flow controller.^[2] Milestones include the Preliminary Design Review in September 2017 and Critical Design Review in March 2022, culminating in the delivery of the first flight-model thruster in early 2025.^[2] As of August 2025, all three flight thrusters—each measuring 210 mm in height and 530 mm in diameter, with a maximum mass of 53 kilograms—have been delivered to NASA's Glenn Research Center for qualification testing, which includes a 4,500-hour wear test scheduled for 2026.^[3] The system is slated for integration into the Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), supporting the Artemis IV mission and enabling efficient transport of up to 40 metric tons of cargo to lunar orbit with minimal propellant.^[5] Beyond the Gateway, AEPS holds potential for broader applications in robotic science missions and future nuclear-electric propulsion concepts, advancing NASA's exploration objectives.^[4]

Introduction

Overview

The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) is a 12 kW-class solar electric propulsion (SEP) system employing Hall current thrusters to provide efficient, low-thrust, high-impulse propulsion for spacecraft in deep-space environments.^[2] Developed by NASA in collaboration with Aerojet Rocketdyne, AEPS utilizes magnetic fields to trap electrons and generate plasma from xenon propellant, enabling sustained acceleration of ions for thrust.^[2] Its primary role is to facilitate long-duration missions, such as those to the Moon and beyond, by significantly reducing propellant mass requirements compared to traditional chemical propulsion systems, thereby allowing for larger payloads and extended operational durations.^[6] Each thruster operates at up to 12 kW, producing approximately 600 millinewtons of thrust and a specific impulse of about 2,800 seconds, with dimensions of 210 mm height and 530 mm diameter, and a maximum mass of 53 kg.^[2] The AEPS configuration for NASA's Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) on the Lunar Gateway includes three thrusters, delivering a total thrust of approximately 1.8 N at 36 kW input power.^[2] It operates with xenon as the propellant, with a total propellant throughput of approximately 5,000 kg over the mission, including refueling, designed to support mission needs including orbit raising and maintenance.^[6] The system is engineered for an operational life exceeding 15 years, incorporating robust components to handle the rigors of extended spaceflight.^[7] As of 2025, AEPS represents the most powerful electric propulsion system currently in production, roughly doubling the power levels of prior satellite Hall thrusters, which enhances propulsion efficiency for ambitious human and robotic exploration. Originating from NASA initiatives in 2015 to advance high-power electric propulsion, the program progressed through a competitive contract award in 2016, with the first flight planned for the Lunar Gateway's PPE no earlier than 2027.^[6]

Historical Development

The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) originated in 2015 as part of NASA's Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) project intended for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), evolving directly from the 12.5 kW Hall Effect Research with Magnetic Shielding (HERMeS) thruster, which NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had been developing since 2010 to advance high-power Hall thruster technology.^[6] Following the ARM's cancellation in 2017, the AEPS project shifted focus to powering the Lunar Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), where it provides the primary propulsion for station-keeping and orbit maintenance in cis-lunar space.^[6] In April 2016, NASA awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $67 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (with performance incentives) to develop and qualify five 12 kW AEPS subsystems, including thrusters, power processing units, and supporting hardware, under the leadership of NASA GRC for system integration and oversight.^[8] Key early milestones included initial thruster performance and wear testing in 2017, which built on HERMeS demonstrations to validate magnetic shielding and high-power operation, followed by systems integration and the Early Integrated System Test in 2018 to assess hardware compatibility in vacuum conditions.^[9] By November 2019, Aerojet Rocketdyne achieved the first full-power demonstration of the AEPS engineering model at 12 kW, confirming stable operation and thrust levels essential for deep-space applications.^[10] Qualification efforts advanced in 2023 with the start of environmental testing on the Qualification Model 1 (QM1) thruster, including vibration, thermal vacuum, and life demonstration phases led by NASA GRC and Aerojet Rocketdyne to verify durability toward a 50,000-hour operational lifetime.^[11] Mechanical environment testing, encompassing qualification-level vibration and shock, was successfully completed on QM1 in May 2024, paving the way for ongoing life testing.^[2] In May 2019, NASA selected Maxar Technologies (now part of L3Harris) as the prime contractor for PPE integration, incorporating the AEPS thrusters into the overall spacecraft bus. As of November 2025, all three flight model thrusters have been delivered to NASA GRC since June–August 2025, with qualification testing ongoing, including a 4,500-hour wear test on Qualification Model 2 scheduled for 2026 and full qualification expected in late 2025 or early 2026.^[2]^[3]

Design and Technology

Operating Principles

The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) employs a magnetically shielded Hall-effect thruster design, which operates by ionizing xenon propellant within an annular discharge channel. A radial electric field, generated by applying a discharge voltage across the channel, accelerates electrons from a cathode toward an anode, while an axial magnetic field of approximately 0.1-0.2 tesla confines these electrons in a closed-drift orbit, inducing a Hall current perpendicular to both fields. This electron trapping enhances ionization efficiency by increasing the residence time of electrons in the plasma, allowing them to collide with neutral xenon atoms and produce a quasi-neutral plasma of ions and electrons, while the ions, unconfined by the magnetic field, are accelerated axially by the electric field to generate thrust. The magnetic shielding minimizes ion bombardment on the channel walls, reducing erosion and supporting extended operational life.^[6]^[12] The plasma generation process begins with xenon gas injected through the anode at the upstream end of the discharge channel, where it encounters the high-energy electrons driven by a discharge voltage typically ranging from 300 to 600 volts. These electrons, gyrating under the influence of the magnetic field, ionize the xenon through electron-impact collisions, creating a partially ionized plasma that fills the channel. The magnetic field traps the electrons near the channel walls, preventing rapid axial transport and sustaining the discharge, while the resulting positive space charge of ions establishes an axial electric field that accelerates the ions toward the thruster exit at exhaust velocities of approximately 30-40 km/s. This ion acceleration is governed by the fundamental relation for electrostatic propulsion, v_e = \sqrt{\frac{2 e V_d}{m_i}}, where v_e is the exhaust velocity, e is the elementary charge, V_d is the discharge voltage, and m_i is the ion mass.^[6]^[13]^[14] AEPS demonstrates throttling capability to adapt to varying mission requirements, operating across a power range of 6 kW at 300 volts to 12 kW at 600 volts by adjusting the discharge voltage and current while maintaining stable plasma dynamics. Unlike gridded ion thrusters, which use separate ionization and acceleration regions with physical grids to extract and accelerate ions, the Hall-effect design integrates these processes in a single channel without grids, enabling higher power handling but introducing potential for wall erosion due to ion bombardment. The overall thruster efficiency of 60-70% arises primarily from optimized plasma dynamics, including efficient electron confinement and minimal beam divergence, which maximize the conversion of electrical power to directed kinetic energy of the ion exhaust.^[2]^[6]^[15]

Key Components

The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) Hall thruster core features an annular discharge channel constructed from ceramic materials, such as boron nitride, with a diameter of approximately 15 cm to facilitate plasma acceleration.^[6] This channel is integrated with a magnetic circuit comprising electromagnets that generate the radial magnetic field essential for electron confinement.^[4] A centrally mounted hollow cathode, utilizing lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) for electron emission, provides the ionizing electrons and neutralizes the ion beam.^[6] The Power Processing Unit (PPU) converts unregulated spacecraft DC power, typically in the 95-140 V range, to the thruster's operational voltages, including up to 600 V and 20 A for the discharge supply, as well as dedicated supplies for magnets and cathode keeper.^[4] With a mass of approximately 50 kg, the PPU achieves efficiencies exceeding 95% in its DC-DC switching unit to minimize power losses.^[4]^[16] The Xenon Flow Controller (XFC) precisely regulates propellant delivery using mass flow controllers and pressure regulators, enabling throttling of xenon flow rates from 0.5 to 2 mg/s, primarily for cathode operations while supporting overall anode flows up to 24 mg/s in split configurations.^[4] System integration emphasizes thermal management to maintain discharge channel temperatures between 500°C and 800°C, achieved through targeted heaters and sensors, alongside vibration-resistant mounting structures with shock isolators to withstand launch environments; the total subsystem mass per thruster is approximately 120 kg.^[17]^[4] The AEPS design inherits from the High Efficiency Multistage Plasma (HERMeS) thruster, scaled for 12 kW operation with enhanced materials like boron nitride channels to mitigate erosion and achieve a 50,000-hour operational life.^[4]

Performance Specifications

Thrust and Efficiency

The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) Hall thruster delivers a nominal thrust of up to 600 millinewtons (mN) per unit when operating at its full discharge power of 12 kilowatts (kW), with performance scaling across a throttled power range from approximately 390 to 600 mN depending on mission requirements. This scalability supports flexible operation, for example yielding about 390 mN at ~6.5 kW (300 V) and increasing progressively to 445 mN at 9 kW, 493 mN at 10 kW, 541 mN at 11 kW, and 588–600 mN at 12 kW (as of 2025 acceptance tests).^[2]^[16] In the baseline configuration for the Lunar Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element, three AEPS thrusters provide a combined maximum thrust of approximately 1.8 newtons (N) at full power, enabling efficient orbit-raising and station-keeping maneuvers. Efficiency in the AEPS is characterized by distinct contributions from the thruster core, power processing unit (PPU), and overall system integration, with the thruster achieving >65% efficiency in ion production and acceleration processes.^[16] The PPU demonstrates over 95% conversion efficiency across its input voltage range of 95-140 volts, minimizing waste heat and supporting high-power operation. The total system efficiency reaches >60% at 13.3 kW input (early design), reflecting the combined effects of these components.^[16] This overall metric is quantified by the standard Hall thruster efficiency equation:

\eta = \frac{F \cdot v_e}{2 \cdot P_{in}}

where \eta is the total efficiency, F is the thrust force, v_e is the exhaust velocity, and P_{in} is the input power to the thruster. Performance varies with power level, with efficiencies improving at higher throttles to >65% thruster efficiency at 12 kW.^[16] Key factors enhancing AEPS efficiency include optimized magnetic field topology, which reduces plume divergence by confining the ion beam more effectively and minimizing losses to off-axis erosion. Sustained thrust output is further supported by low erosion rates, measured below 1 micrometer per kilohour (μm/kh) in critical discharge channel regions under nominal conditions, ensuring long-term performance stability.^[18] Compared to prior-generation 5-6 kW Hall thrusters such as the BHT-600, which produces around 300 mN, the AEPS delivers roughly twice the thrust at double the power, offering a superior thrust-to-power ratio for deep-space applications.

Specific Impulse and Propellant Usage

The specific impulse (Isp) of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) characterizes its fuel efficiency by measuring the impulse delivered per unit of propellant consumed, expressed in seconds. It is defined by the equation I_{sp} = \frac{v_e}{g_0}, where v_e is the exhaust velocity and g_0 = 9.81 m/s² is the standard gravitational acceleration on Earth. For AEPS, a Hall-effect thruster operating in vacuum, Isp ranges from approximately 1,900 s at lower power levels to 2,800 s at full power, with peak performance of 2,800 s at 12 kW and 600 V discharge voltage, corresponding to an exhaust velocity of about 27.5 km/s (as of 2025).^[2]^[16]^[19]^[20] AEPS utilizes xenon as its primary propellant due to its high atomic mass of 131 atomic mass units, which facilitates efficient ionization and acceleration while minimizing electrode erosion in the Hall thruster discharge channel. The nominal xenon flow rate per thruster is 8-21.2 mg/s, adjustable via the xenon flow controller to match power levels, with cathode flow typically 5-10% of the anode flow for stable operation. For the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) application, the total propellant load is approximately 5,000 kg for the ion propulsion system (including three primary AEPS thrusters and auxiliaries), enabling extended mission durations with significantly reduced mass compared to alternatives.^[19]^[21]^[6]^[22] The system is designed for a qualified operational lifetime of 23,000 hours at nominal conditions, equivalent to a propellant throughput of approximately 1,700 kg per thruster, with modeling indicating sustained performance over this duration due to magnetic shielding that limits erosion. Extended full-life projections reach 50,000 hours, supporting 15-year missions with over 5,000 start-stop cycles, as erosion rate analyses predict minimal degradation in thrust and Isp.^[19]^[21]^[23] By leveraging high Isp, AEPS enables substantial mass savings for the PPE, achieving an overall spacecraft mass of 8-9 metric tons with 50 kW solar arrays (including Roll-Out Solar Arrays capable of over 60 kW), whereas equivalent delta-v using chemical propulsion would require roughly 10 times more propellant mass due to its lower Isp of around 450 s.^[6] This efficiency allows the PPE to perform cislunar transfers and station-keeping with reduced launch mass. AEPS supports throttling from ~6 kW to 12 kW, which directly impacts Isp; at reduced power (e.g., 300 V), Isp drops to around 1,900 s, optimizing for low-thrust tasks like station-keeping, while full power maximizes Isp for high-delta-v maneuvers such as orbit transfers.^[19]^[21]^[2]

Development and Testing

Engineering and Qualification Tests

The engineering and qualification tests for the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) began with initial development efforts at NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC) to validate the 12-kW Hall current thruster design under simulated space conditions. In 2017, reconfiguration of GRC's Vacuum Facility 6 (VF-6) enabled high-power testing, including early vacuum chamber firings of the thruster at 12 kW to assess basic performance and thermal management.^[24] These tests focused on operational stability and plume characteristics in a low-pressure environment representative of space. By 2018, integration testing advanced with the power processing unit (PPU) and xenon flow controller (XFC), demonstrating end-to-end system functionality in vacuum conditions at GRC.^[20] In 2019, a full-system demonstration achieved nominal thrust levels of approximately 600 mN, confirming the thruster's capability to meet power and propulsion requirements for deep-space applications. Qualification testing commenced in July 2023 at GRC, marking the transition to rigorous environmental verification for flight readiness, with key phases completing by early 2024.^[25] This included thermal-vacuum (TVAC) cycling to simulate orbital temperature extremes, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) assessments for interference mitigation, and vibration testing up to qualification levels exceeding 11 grms to replicate launch dynamics.^[4] The Qualification Model 1 (QM-1) underwent these procedures, passing pre-environmental characterization in March 2024, followed by vibration in April and shock in May, with TVAC testing commencing later and ongoing as of September 2025.^[2] Specific test procedures emphasized endurance and diagnostics to ensure long-term reliability. Hot-fire endurance runs exceeded 1,000 hours cumulatively across development units, evaluating steady-state operation and component degradation.^[26] Plume diagnostics measured beam divergence and erosion profiles using Faraday probes and optical spectroscopy, while cathode wear analysis involved post-test disassembly to inspect keeper and insert materials for sputter damage.^[2] QM-1 has completed vibration, shock, and other early qualification phases in 2024, with TVAC testing ongoing as of September 2025 and full qualification expected late 2025, with no major failures reported, validating the design's robustness.^[2] In 2025, acceptance testing progressed for Flight Models 1, 2, and 3 (FM1, FM2, and FM3), including vibration at Aerojet Rocketdyne facilities and subsequent hot-fire verification at GRC to confirm performance consistency post-environmental exposure.^[2] FM1, FM2, and FM3 completed assembly in July 2025, with acceptance testing finished and all three delivered to NASA by August 2025. Testing, including hot-fire sequences, is ongoing for the flight models as of fall 2025, incorporating extended hot-fire sequences to support the projected 50,000-hour operational life based on wear modeling from prior endurance data.^[2] Early development encountered anomalies such as intermittent arcing, which was mitigated through cathode redesign incorporating enhanced keeper orifice geometry to improve ignition stability and reduce plasma sheath fluctuations.^[27] Qualification tests validated nominal efficiency at 68%, aligning with design targets for thrust-to-power conversion.^[19]

Integration and Flight Preparation

The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for NASA's Lunar Gateway incorporates three 12 kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) Hall thrusters alongside four 6 kW Hall-effect thrusters, such as the Busek BHT-6000 models, to form a hybrid electric propulsion architecture on an approximately 8-9 metric ton module, with delivery of the four BHT-6000 units to Maxar completed in September 2025.^[2]^[28]^[29] This configuration draws power from 50 kW-class Roll-Out Solar Arrays (ROSA) developed by Redwire, enabling a total electric propulsion system output of up to 48 kW to support cislunar maneuvering and station-keeping.^[30]^[31] The AEPS thrusters, provided as government-furnished equipment by NASA and manufactured by L3Harris (formerly Aerojet Rocketdyne), are designed for high-efficiency, long-duration operations, with each unit weighing a maximum of 53 kg and capable of throttling between 6 kW and 12 kW.^[2]^[3] Integration of the AEPS into the PPE, led by prime contractor Maxar Technologies, involves mounting the thrusters directly onto the spacecraft bus using six shock isolators per unit to mitigate launch vibrations, eliminating the need for additional structural adapters.^[2] This process includes connecting the thrusters to dedicated Power Processing Units (PPUs) and Xenon Feed Controllers (XFCs) via cabling harnesses, as well as applying multilayer insulation and thermal blanketing to protect components from the space environment's temperature extremes.^[22] Deliveries of the three flight-model AEPS thrusters were completed progressively in 2025, with all units (FM1, FM2, and FM3) delivered to NASA by August 2025, allowing Maxar to finalize assembly post-qualification and integration compatibility checks.^[32]^[2] These steps ensure seamless interface with the PPE's avionics and propulsion plumbing, including dual propellant line connections for xenon delivery.^[2] Flight preparation activities, conducted primarily at NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC), encompass acceptance testing of the integrated AEPS units, including vibration simulations and hot-fire demonstrations in 2025 to verify performance under operational loads.^[33] Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) re-testing of the full PPE stack confirms minimal interactions between the high-power thrusters and other subsystems, while onboard software enables autonomous throttling of the AEPS for precise thrust vectoring during maneuvers.^[34] These validations build on component-level results to ensure system-level reliability.^[35] Launch preparations align the PPE with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket for a no-earlier-than (NET) 2027 mission, incorporating vibration profiles tailored to the vehicle's dynamics to protect the assembled module during ascent.^[36] Propellant loading consists of approximately 2,500 kg of xenon, stored in dual tanks and fed through the XFC system, with mass budget optimizations focused on achieving efficient cislunar transfer trajectories to the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO).^[37] To address power margins, where theoretical array output exceeds 50 kW but operational availability is conservatively budgeted at 48-50 kW for the propulsion system, upgrades to the ROSA design enhance end-of-life performance and degradation resistance from radiation and thermal cycling.^[30]^[31] Key risks, such as cathode reliability in the AEPS, are mitigated through parallel qualification testing and redundant thruster strings, ensuring the system's 15-year lifespan.^[2]

Applications and Missions

Lunar Gateway Power and Propulsion Element

The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) of the Lunar Gateway serves as the primary propulsion and power backbone, utilizing the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) to raise the station's orbit from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO), perform station-keeping, and execute relocations throughout its 15-year operational lifespan. This configuration demands a total delta-v of approximately 2-3 km/s, achieved through efficient solar electric propulsion that minimizes propellant needs. The PPE integrates three 12 kW AEPS Hall thrusters, each capable of delivering up to 600 mN of thrust during high-thrust phases such as major transfers, while being supplemented by four 6 kW Hall-effect thrusters for precise attitude control and fine maneuvering.^[2]^[38]^[3] The mission profile for the PPE begins with a launch in 2027 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, co-manifested with the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module, launched together to form the initial Gateway assembly in NRHO, with further elements added as part of the Artemis IV mission in 2028. Propulsion operations rely on continuous low-thrust spirals to efficiently build velocity, leveraging the high specific impulse of AEPS to reduce propellant consumption by about 90% compared to traditional chemical propulsion systems. Over the element's lifetime, the AEPS configuration is projected to deliver a total impulse of approximately 10^6 N·s, ensuring reliable orbit maintenance without frequent resupply.^[2]^[30] By enabling sustained human presence in cislunar space, the PPE's AEPS implementation supports the broader Artemis program goals of lunar exploration and serves as a stepping stone for future deep-space missions. The system's design allows for throttled operation between 6 kW and 12 kW per thruster, facilitating dynamic power sharing with other Gateway subsystems such as communications and life support during varying mission phases. This flexibility not only optimizes resource use but also enhances the overall efficiency and longevity of the lunar outpost. Following the delivery of all three flight thrusters in August 2025, integration into the PPE proceeds with qualification testing underway.^[2]^[30]^[38]

Potential Future Applications

The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS), a 12 kW-class Hall thruster, holds promise for science missions beyond its baseline role, particularly in solar electric propulsion (SEP) architectures for cargo delivery to Mars. NASA studies indicate that high-power SEP variants, leveraging AEPS-derived technology, could enable efficient transport of payloads for sample return missions, with systems scaling to 100 kW-class configurations to support round-trip operations and reduce transit times compared to chemical propulsion alternatives.^[39] For instance, SEP cargo vehicles incorporating AEPS thruster strings have been proposed to deliver elements to Mars orbit or surface, minimizing launch mass requirements through high-efficiency ion acceleration. Potential adaptations include follow-on missions to outer planet targets like Europa, where enhanced SEP could facilitate extended-duration surveys following the Europa Clipper's chemical-based trajectory.^[39] Commercial adaptations of AEPS technology emphasize high-power SEP for emerging sectors such as satellite constellations and asteroid resource utilization. The thruster's design supports scalability to 50 kW+ through clustered configurations, enabling precise station-keeping and orbit-raising for large-scale constellations in geostationary or deep-space orbits, where electric propulsion reduces operational costs by factors of 10 or more relative to chemical systems. In asteroid mining, high-power SEP variants could power prospecting and retrieval spacecraft, as demonstrated in NASA concepts for capturing near-Earth objects using efficient, low-thrust propulsion to achieve delta-V budgets exceeding 10 km/s with minimal propellant. Technology transfer opportunities for AEPS include licensing to international partners for deep-space probes, building on collaborative frameworks like the Artemis Accords. Agencies such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) could integrate AEPS-derived Hall thrusters into their exploration programs, with studies exploring hybrids combining SEP with nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) for enhanced performance in shadowed or distant environments. For example, AEPS has been identified as a viable baseline for NEP systems, where nuclear reactors provide power to multiple thruster strings, enabling sustained high-thrust operations for probes to the outer solar system.^[40] Scalability designs for AEPS focus on single-unit advancements to 25-50 kW, facilitating crewed Mars architectures with reduced propellant needs. Engineering assessments show that optimized 25-50 kW thrusters could support orbital insertion and transit for human missions, achieving Mars round-trips using less than 10 tons of xenon propellant through high specific impulse operations exceeding 2,000 seconds. These efficiencies stem from the system's throttleable range and lifetime exceeding 10,000 hours, allowing continuous low-thrust acceleration.^[41] As of November 2025, NASA continues evaluations of AEPS for Artemis deep-space stages, with qualification testing ongoing, including a planned 4,500-hour wear test in 2026; potential in-space demonstrations are under evaluation for the late 2020s or 2030s to validate scalability for Mars and beyond.^[2]

Challenges and Future Prospects

Technical Challenges

One of the primary technical challenges in the development of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) Hall thruster is channel wall erosion due to ion sputtering, particularly at high power levels of 12 kW, where rates can reach 25–100 μm per kilohour or higher in unoptimized configurations.^[42] This erosion arises from high-energy ions impacting the boron nitride (BN) channel walls, as gradual material loss alters the discharge channel geometry and plasma confinement.^[43] Mitigation strategies include optimized BN-SiO2 composite coatings for the channel walls, which reduce sputtering yields by enhancing surface resistance to ion bombardment while maintaining thermal and electrical properties.^[42] Magnetic shielding topologies further minimize erosion by redirecting ion trajectories away from the walls, achieving near-zero rates for the channel in qualification testing, though front pole covers require ongoing monitoring.^[42] Power handling presents another significant hurdle, with 12 kW input power generating substantial thermal loads that can cause cathode degradation through overheating and material evaporation.^[17] These loads, estimated at several kilowatts dissipated as heat, necessitate advanced cooling systems such as radiators and heat pipes to maintain component temperatures below critical thresholds during extended operation.^[17] Additionally, electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the high-power plasma discharge can disrupt spacecraft avionics, with emissions spanning 10 kHz to 40 GHz requiring shielding and filtering to ensure compatibility.^[17] Throttling stability at lower power levels, such as 6 kW, introduces plasma oscillations that destabilize the discharge, potentially reducing efficiency and increasing wear on internal components.^[17] These oscillations are managed through feedback controls in the power processing unit (PPU) that adjust voltage and current in real-time.^[17] Propellant purity issues, including contaminants in xenon flow, can lead to clogs in feed lines and cathodes, exacerbating instability; this is addressed via high-purity filtration systems integrated into the flow controller.^[17] Integration challenges stem from the subsystem's mass of approximately 50-53 kg and compact volume (210 mm × 530 mm), which impose constraints on the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) spacecraft design.^[17] Launch vibrations up to 14 grms rms stress the permanent magnets and structural mounts, risking misalignment or demagnetization; qualification involves shock isolators and resonant frequency tuning above operational minima.^[17] As of November 2025, these issues have been largely resolved through 2024 qualification tests and 2025 acceptance testing on qualification and flight model units, including vibration, thermal vacuum, and EMI evaluations, though ongoing monitoring is planned for potential flight anomalies.^[17]^[44]

Ongoing Developments and Advancements

Efforts to scale AEPS power levels are underway to support more demanding deep-space missions, including proposals submitted to NASA's Game Changing Development Program for a derivative 100-kW version adaptable for either solar electric propulsion or nuclear electric propulsion configurations.^[40] This scaling addresses solar power limitations beyond 1 AU, particularly for Mars missions where nuclear integration could enable sustained high-thrust operations.^[40] Lifetime extension research at NASA Glenn Research Center focuses on cathode technologies, with ongoing risk reduction testing of engineering development unit cathodes to evaluate performance degradation and extend operational hours under prolonged mission conditions.^[17] These advancements build on erosion challenges observed in high-power Hall thrusters. A 23,000-hour wear test is planned to begin in 2026 to further assess durability.^[17] The 2025-2030 roadmap encompasses analysis following the 2025 acceptance testing and integration of flight model thrusters into the Power and Propulsion Element, alongside prototypes tailored for commercial solar electric propulsion applications.^[2]^[44] Environmental qualification efforts include verification of radiation hardness through additional analysis and targeted testing to ensure reliability in cislunar and deep-space environments.^[45] Unresolved power margins persist, with the Power and Propulsion Element allocating 50 kW to its solar electric propulsion system, prompting investigations into solar array enhancements for improved output.^[28] International collaborations are exploring standardization of high-power electric propulsion interfaces to facilitate broader adoption in multi-agency missions.

References

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Nov 2, 2023 · The blue hue of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) is seen inside a vacuum chamber at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland ...
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[3]
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Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) program will complete development and qualification of a 13kW flight. EP system to support NASA exploration. The ...
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Jul 6, 2017 · They are being conducted as part of a $65 million contract that NASA awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne in April 2016. ... Glenn with support from NASA's ...
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The ionization and acceleration regions overlap, which leads to dispersion in the ion velocity and some angular divergence in the resultant beam. This is in ...
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The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) program will develop a flight 13kW. Hall thruster propulsion system based on NASA's HERMeS thruster.
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For ion and Hall thrusters, ions are accelerated to high exhaust velocity using an electrical power source. The velocity of the ions greatly exceeds that of any.
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### Summary of AEPS Key Components and Design Features
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[PDF] ADVANCED ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEM (AEPS) - L3Harris
SYSTEM PERFORMANCE. Input Voltage Range. 95V – 140V. Number of Cycles. 5000. Total Impulse. 10^8 N-sec. Efficiency. > 60% (at 13.3 kW system input power). Mass.
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At this erosion rate, less than 0.2 mm of the walls erode after 34.5 kh of operation. The predicted erosion rates shown in Table IV confirm that magnetic ...
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[PDF] 13kW Advanced Electric Propulsion Flight System Development and ...
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[20]
[PDF] development of high power hall thruster systems
• AEPS System is a key SEP element to enable the vision of exploration ... System efficiency. >60%. Power per thruster. 100 kW. System kg/kW. <5 kg/kW. Page 16 ...
[21]
[PDF] 13kW Advanced Electric Propulsion Flight System Development and ...
Oct 12, 2017 · AEPS is a NASA contract that was competitively-selected9 and consists of the development of an Engineering Development Unit (EDU) EP string, ...
[22]
Advanced Electric Propulsion System passes full-power test milestone
Nov 14, 2019 · Using 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) of xenon as a propellant, the thrusters are designed to have a service life of 50,000 hours. "Our AEPS thruster has ...
[23]
Advanced Electric Propulsion System - Wikipedia
Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) is a solar electric propulsion system for spacecraft that is being designed, developed and tested by NASA and ...
[24]
[PDF] Reconfiguration of NASA GRC's Vacuum Facility 6 for Testing of ...
Oct 8, 2017 · To address the hardware test needs of the AEPS project, NASA GRC launched an effort to reconfigure. Vacuum Facility 6 (VF-6) for high-power ...
[25]
NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne Put Gateway Thruster System to the Test
Jul 12, 2023 · Engineers from NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne are beginning qualification testing on the cutting-edge solar electric propulsion (SEP) thrusters.
[26]
[PDF] Overview of NASA's Solar Electric Propulsion Project
Sep 20, 2019 · The core console contains all functionality required to operate the AEPS, including input power, signal conditioning, data acquisition, PPU test ...
[27]
[PDF] Preparation for Hollow Cathode Testing for the Advanced Electric ...
Jul 9, 2018 · Vacuum Facility 67 is being developed to serve as a long-duration test facility for the Engineering. Development Unit cathode, which is to be ...
[28]
[PDF] Application of Solar Electric Propulsion to the Low Thrust Lunar ...
Jun 28, 2024 · At the beginning of the Gateway mission, however, 50 kW of PPE's generation capability will be allocated to the most powerful electric ...Missing: specifications | Show results with:specifications
[29]
A Powerhouse in Deep Space: Gateway's Power and Propulsion ...
Dec 15, 2022 · A foundational component of the lunar outpost and the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown, PPE will provide Gateway with power.
[30]
An Electric Solar-Powered Future: Maxar Space Systems' PPE to ...
Sep 27, 2024 · PPE will be able to supply at least 48 kilowatts of power to the electric propulsion system, making it the highest power solar electric ...Missing: output | Show results with:output
[31]
[PDF] Development and Qualification Status of the Electric Propulsion ...
The seven Hall thrusters, in addition to 24 bipropellant chemical thrusters are designed to supply all propulsion needs for the entire cis-lunar Gateway. The ...
[32]
L3Harris delivers powerful electric thrusters for NASA's Lunar ...
Aug 12, 2025 · The three AEPS thrusters will be integrated into the PPE, built by Maxar Technologies, which will provide Gateway with power, communications, ...
[33]
[PDF] NASA Progress on the Development and Qualification of a 12-kW ...
Oct 18, 2024 · This 12-kilowatt Hall thruster is the most powerful electric propulsion thruster in production, and it will be critical to future science and ...
[34]
[PDF] Development and Qualification Status of the Electric Propulsion ...
▫ Increased xenon storage capacity to 2770 kg. ▫ Increase from 2 to 3 Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) thrusters. 7. Page 8. Gateway Power and ...
[35]
[PDF] Technology Demonstration Mission Solar Electric Propulsion Annual ...
Mar 5, 2024 · This 12-kilowatt Hall thruster is the most powerful electric propulsion thruster in production, and it will be critical to future science and ...
[36]
Gateway PPE & HALO | Falcon Heavy - Next Spaceflight
NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the agency's Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), ...Missing: vibration profiles
[37]
[PDF] The Application of Advanced Electric Propulsion on the NASA ...
The six Hall Thrusters, in addition to 20 hydrazine monopropellant chemical thrusters are designed to supply all propulsion needs for the entire cis-lunar ...Missing: specifications | Show results with:specifications
[38]
Gateway's Propulsion System Testing Throttles Up - NASA
Jun 2, 2022 · The PPE will use both a 6-kilowatt (kW) and a 12-kW electric propulsion system. Each system contains various components that help the ...
[39]
[PDF] The Importance of Electric Propulsion to Future Exploration of the ...
Sep 20, 2019 · The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) is being developed to support a demonstration of Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) at the 50 kW ...
[40]
[PDF] Nuclear Power Concepts and Development Strategies for High ...
Mar 1, 2022 · (1) The first is the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) development by STMD for solar electric propulsion (SEP) applications. AEPS ...
[41]
[PDF] Electric Propulsion Research and Development at NASA
AEPS designed for SEP applications requiring higher thrust orbital and interplanetary transfer. - Power: 12.5 kW - Propellant Throughput: 1,700 kg - Maximum ...<|separator|>
[42]
[PDF] Optimization of the Magnetic Field Topology in the Hall Effect Rocket ...
Jul 9, 2018 · µm/kh (B4) it would take approximately 38 kh for the channel to be completely eroded (assuming that the rate does not change as material is ...
[43]
Wear trends of the 12.5 kW HERMeS Hall thruster - AIP Publishing
Oct 12, 2021 · In the downstream position, the keeper eroded at a radially averaged rate of approximately 74 μm/kh. ... (AEPS). ,” in. 35th International ...<|separator|>
[44]
[PDF] Throttling Impacts on Hall Thruster Performance, Erosion, and ...
Deep throttling ofHall thrusters will impact the overall system performance. Also, Hall thrusters can be throttled with both current and voltage, impacting ...
[45]
[PDF] 12-kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System Hall Current Thruster ...
Nov 27, 2024 · The AEPS thruster is the highest power electric propulsion device in production, providing around 600mN of thrust and a specific impulse of ...