A low-power cylindrical Hall thruster with a power consumption of 50-100 W is developed and its plume characteristics are studied. In order to reduce power consumption, electromagnets are replaced by SmCo permanent magnets. Under a Xe flow rate of 1-5 seem, the discharge current is approximately 0.02-0.4 A, and the thruster is stably operated with anode voltages in the range of 100-500 V. During operation, the temperature of the baseplate of the thruster remains constant at less than the Curie temperature of the SmCo magnet for at least 6 hours of continuous operation. The plume characteristics are measured and analyzed by a Faraday probe and a retarding potential analyzer.
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