U.S. Air Force photo For the first time U.S. Air Force has revealed next mission of its secretive X-37B spaceplane, an unmanned reusab...
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| U.S. Air Force photo |
For the first time U.S. Air Force has revealed next mission of its secretive X-37B spaceplane, an unmanned reusable spacecraft developed by Boeing.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space and Missile Systems Center, and Rapid Capabilities Office are collaborating to host the Hall thruster experiment on Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4, the fourth flight of the X-37B reusable space plane.
The Hall thruster will be a modified version of the units that have propelled SMC's first three Lockheed Martin built Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellites.
A Hall thruster is a type of electric propulsion device that produces thrust by ionizing and accelerating a noble gas, usually xenon. While producing comparatively low thrust relative to conventional rocket engines, Hall thrusters provide significantly greater specific impulse, or fuel economy.
This results in increased payload carrying capacity and a greater number of on-orbit maneuvers for a spacecraft using Hall thrusters rather than traditional rocket engines.
This experiment will enable in-space characterization of Hall thruster design modifications that are intended to improve performance relative to the state-of-the-art units onboard AEHF.
The experiment will include collection of telemetry from the Hall thruster operating in the space environment as well as measurement of the thrust imparted on the vehicle.
The resulting data will be used to validate and improve Hall thruster and environmental modeling capabilities, which enhance the ability to extrapolate ground test results to actual on-orbit performance. The on-orbit test plans are being developed by AFRL and administered by RCO.
The first three OTV flights have accumulated a total of 1367 days of on-orbit experimentation prior to successful landings and recoveries at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA.
The X-37B completed its 673 day long OTV-3 mission in October 2014.
The X-37B program performs risk reduction, experimentation, and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies, and it is administered by RCO.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space and Missile Systems Center, and Rapid Capabilities Office are collaborating to host the Hall thruster experiment on Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4, the fourth flight of the X-37B reusable space plane.
The Hall thruster will be a modified version of the units that have propelled SMC's first three Lockheed Martin built Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellites.
A Hall thruster is a type of electric propulsion device that produces thrust by ionizing and accelerating a noble gas, usually xenon. While producing comparatively low thrust relative to conventional rocket engines, Hall thrusters provide significantly greater specific impulse, or fuel economy.
This results in increased payload carrying capacity and a greater number of on-orbit maneuvers for a spacecraft using Hall thrusters rather than traditional rocket engines.
This experiment will enable in-space characterization of Hall thruster design modifications that are intended to improve performance relative to the state-of-the-art units onboard AEHF.
The experiment will include collection of telemetry from the Hall thruster operating in the space environment as well as measurement of the thrust imparted on the vehicle.
The resulting data will be used to validate and improve Hall thruster and environmental modeling capabilities, which enhance the ability to extrapolate ground test results to actual on-orbit performance. The on-orbit test plans are being developed by AFRL and administered by RCO.
The first three OTV flights have accumulated a total of 1367 days of on-orbit experimentation prior to successful landings and recoveries at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA.
The X-37B completed its 673 day long OTV-3 mission in October 2014.
The X-37B program performs risk reduction, experimentation, and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies, and it is administered by RCO.
