NASA-173M Hall thruster

NASA Glenn’s NASA-173M is a laboratory Hall-thruster research design used to study high-specific-impulse operation and magnetic-field optimization. The v.2 development tailored the magnetic circuit to improve efficiency at higher discharge voltage. NASA’s 2004 overview reports performance measurements from 1.3 to 9.3 kW and specific impulse above 3,000 s for v.2, while noting that thermal steady state had not been demonstrated at elevated power. These are ground-test results with hardware and thermal limitations, rather than flight-qualified operating ratings. The design also supported investigations of krypton propellant and high-current, low-voltage operation.