Hall Thruster Impact Analysis on Satellite Communi-cation
Abstract
Hall thrusters are currently under development for stationkeeping of geosynchrnous communications satellites. These thrusters produce an inhomogeneous plasma plume, which must be carefully evaluated in terms of possible degradation of the microwave communications signals (typ. 1-20 GHz). The electron density on the axis of a 5 kW class Hall thruster at a distance of 1 m is ~ 10^16 m-3, with a gradual decrease off-axis. We have developed a geometrical optics ray tracing code to study the effect of plasma thrusters on communication satellite antennas. The code has recently been enhanced to include the reflector feed and offset reflector antennas. We also analyze shaped reflectors, where the parabolic shape is modified slightly to generate an antenna pattern matched to the desired area of coverage. We will present parametric studies, where the plume-antenna interaction is quantified as a function of separation and geometry. Code development will also be presented, including the quintic pseudospline technique used to interpolate shaped reflector grid points, feed models, and exit plane effects on code accuracy.
- Publication:
-
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- October 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000APS..DPPBM1006H