JPL NEXIS laboratory-model ion thruster
NEXIS (Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System) was a JPL gridded-ion thruster development for NASA’s Project Prometheus. The laboratory model used a 65 cm discharge chamber and carbon-carbon grids masked to a 57 cm ion beam. Beam-extraction tests measured more than 78% thruster efficiency at 25 kW and 7,500 s specific impulse, and more than 81% at 8,500 s. These measured operating points differ from the programme’s goals of at least 2,000 kg xenon throughput and long-duration nuclear-electric service. The 2004 activity report documents a completed 2,000-hour proof-of-concept reservoir-cathode wear test; it does not report a full-thruster 2,000-hour endurance test.
Identity
- Aliases
- NEXISNuclear Electric Xenon Ion SystemNEXIS LM
- Domains
- spaceflight
- Identity Level
- model
- Kind
- electric-thruster
- Name
- JPL NEXIS laboratory-model ion thruster
- Status
- historical
Details
- Description
- NEXIS (Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System) was a JPL gridded-ion thruster development for NASA’s Project Prometheus. The laboratory model used a 65 cm discharge chamber and carbon-carbon grids masked to a 57 cm ion beam. Beam-extraction tests measured more than 78% thruster efficiency at 25 kW and 7,500 s specific impulse, and more than 81% at 8,500 s. These measured operating points differ from the programme’s goals of at least 2,000 kg xenon throughput and long-duration nuclear-electric service. The 2004 activity report documents a completed 2,000-hour proof-of-concept reservoir-cathode wear test; it does not report a full-thruster 2,000-hour endurance test.
- Developers
- Propellants
- xenon
Links
- Official Url
- https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20070023372
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- October 29, 2026 at 15:53:42 UTC
- Updated Time
- October 29, 2026 at 15:53:42 UTC
Other
- Sources
- Accessed Date
- 2026-10-29
- Note
- 2004 JPL paper abstract: laboratory-model chamber and beam dimensions, measured beam-extraction efficiency and specific impulse; no overall exterior-diameter assignment.
- Publisher
- NASA NTRS / Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Title
- Discharge Chamber Performance of the NEXIS Ion Thruster
- Accessed Date
- 2026-10-29
- Note
- 2004 activity report distinguishes throughput and power goals from laboratory testing; completed 2,000-hour wear test was a proof-of-concept reservoir cathode.
- Publisher
- NASA NTRS / Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Title
- An Overview of the Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) Activity