ELECTRIC PROPULSION APPLICATIONS FOR LUNAR CARGO MISSIONS

摘要

Different nations are currently developing a number of plans to put man back on the moon by 2020. The natural extension of returning humankind to the Moon is to create a permanent presence there. This implies that large amount of cargo must be transported on a regular basis to the Moon, so there is a need to develop new techniques to create an economical way of achieving this goal. The success of the SMART-1 mission demonstrates Electric Propulsion as a valid propulsion method that can be employed to reduce the amount of propellant needed for the mission. This paper will study the use of Electric Propulsion in order to transport cargo to the moon, and the requirements that such systems will have to fulfill. The main advantage of using Electric Propulsion over traditional liquid/solid propellants is the reduction in the weight budget, due mainly to the reduction in the amount of propellant needed and the use of solar energy as the main power source. Electric Propulsion gives an I_(sp) higher than liquid or solid propellant rocket engines, with a lower thrust, with a consequent increase in the duration of the mission.