Alternative electric propulsion configurations

Much of the ongoing research on electric propulsion (EP) aims at identifying new and disruptive device configurations, which could surpass traditional Hall effect thrusters and gridded ion thrusters in terms of operational flexibility, simplicity, durability, scalability to low or high power, or other performance figures. Most of these novel technologies are still nascent or in the process of characterization and development, and their operation mechanisms are subject of active investigation. These efforts are multidisciplinary in their nature, joining ideation with modeling, simulation, and testing. This topical collection features some of the recent advances in all these fronts.

Submissions are thus sought from the community on novel EP configurations. Experimental, numerical, and theoretical submissions will be considered.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Novel Hall thruster configurations

• Electrodeless plasma thrusters and magnetic nozzles

• Inductive plasma thrusters

• Field reversed configurations for space propulsion

• Modeling, simulation, and/or testing of novel EP configurations

• Facility effects on novel plasma thruster configurations

• Subsystem integration and operation