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Based on the today's needs of cosmonautics, prospects in growth of SC's power-to-weight ratio, increase of SC's operating life up to 15…20 years, as well as the use of electric propulsion thrusters as promising elements in launch vehicles and in additional orbital injection units, in transportation and mid-flight tasks, in small SC orientation systems, the following lines of investigations and further updating of electric propulsion thrusters are topical:
• Development of multimode SPTs capable of securing effective operation of electric propulsion systems in the mode of additional orbital injection or during interorbital flights as well as in the mode of stabilization of SC's position in its operating point in the orbit.
• Development of SPTs with high specific impulse (more than 2,500 s).
• Solution of problem issues in cathodes.
• Updating of SPT-25 and SPT-35 with the purpose of increasing their efficiency, performance and life.
• Updating of structure and algorithm of operation of SPT-based EPSs as to increasing their dynamic characteristics, regulation, and application of new small-size pneumatic hardware.
• Solution of the problem related to ensuring of the required lifetime of SPT-140, SPT-200 at high thermal loads. Confirmation of the lifetime also by means of using a shortened time domain.
• Development and implementation into SC's orientation and stabilization systems the EPSs based on SPT-25, SPT-35, SPT-50.
• Investigation of SPTs operating on alternative propellants, in particular, the possibility of using production (industrial) Kr+Xe mixture instead of xenon. Thruster design optimization. Carrying out of technical and economic substantiation.
• Mastering of SPT-200. Updating and optimization of its design to ensure its multimode operation within a power range of 2…12 kW.
• Updating of propulsion systems, improvement of their mass-dimensional characteristics by developing new small-size pneumatic hardware, tanks and PPUs.
• Development and optimization of bunches of thrusters.
EDB Fakel is carrying out researches and investigations in these and other lines.
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