The compatibility of a Snecma flight-model PPS®1350-G Hall thruster with SSL power processing and thruster auxiliary support units was verified in testing at The Aerospace Corporation. In addition, the thruster was characterized with respect to performance and plume properties at a discharge voltage of 300 V and discharge currents of 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0 A at the minimum achievable vacuum facility background pressure, and at a discharge current of 4.5 A over background pressures ranging from 4E-6 to 5E-5 Torr. The following were observed as background pressure decreased: decreased thrust, specific impulse, and efficiency; improved cathode-plume coupling; increased plume asymmetry; increased plume divergence; decreased ion energy with respect to ground; and decreased multi-charged ion content. This work adds to the open-literature database on the effects of vacuum facility background pressure on Hall thruster behavior, a topic for which the underlying physics is not well understood, leading to difficulty with relating ground test data to flight performance.
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