PPPL Hall Thruster Experiment (HTX)

The Hall Thruster Experiment (HTX) was established in 1999. The Hall thruster is a type of plasma-based propulsion systems for space vehicles. The amount of fuel that must be carried by a satellite depends on the speed with which the thruster can eject it. Chemical rockets have very limited fuel exhaust speed. Plasmas can be ejected at much higher speeds, therefore less fuel need be carried on board. The Hall thruster was invented in the late 1950's. Until the mid 1990's, the hall thruster has been developed primarily by the Russians. During the past 30 years, the Russian placed in orbit more than 100 Hall thrusters. However, the vast majority of satellites worldwide have relied on chemical thrusters and, to a lesser extent, arcjet thrusters and ion thrusters.