NASA Selects Companies To Study Solar Electric Propulsion Spacecraft WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected five companies to develop concepts for demonstrating solar electric propulsion in space. These capabilities are important for the agency's future human exploration missions to deep space. The selected companies, pending successful contract negotiations, are: -- Analytical Mechanics Associates Inc., Hampton, Va. -- Ball Aerospace Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. -- The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colo. -- Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, Calif. The awards total approximately $3 million with a maximum individual contract award of $600,000. Each company will provide a final report to help define a mission concept to demonstrate the solar electric propulsion technologies, capabilities, and infrastructure required for sustainable, affordable human presence in space. The ability to move payloads reliably and cost effectively to high Earth orbits and beyond is critical for deep space human exploration. The mission concept studies will identify technology gaps and look at innovative technical solutions for transportation using solar electric propulsion systems. NASA will use the studies to plan and implement a future flight demonstration mission that will test and validate key capabilities and technologies. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program is funding the studies. The Space Technology Office at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is managing the contracts. NASA Issues Announcement For Solar Electric Propulsion Studies CLEVELAND -- NASA issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeking proposals for mission concept studies of a solar electric propulsion system demonstration to test and validate key capabilities and technologies for future exploration missions. Multiple studies have shown the advantages of using solar electric propulsion to efficiently transport heavy payloads from low Earth orbit to higher orbits. This concept enables the delivery of payloads to low Earth orbit via conventional chemical rockets. The use of solar electric propulsion could then spiral payloads out to higher energy orbits, including Lagrange point one, a potential assembly point in space between Earth and the moon. This approach could facilitate missions to near Earth asteroids and other destinations in deep space. Science missions could use solar electric propulsion to reach distant regions of the solar system, and commercial missions could use solar electric propulsion tugs to place, service, resupply, reposition and salvage space assets. NASA's strategic roadmaps for exploration, science and advanced technology all consider solar electric propulsion a vital and necessary future capability. NASA is examining potential mission concepts for a high-power solar electric propulsion system demonstration. Flying a demonstration mission on a representative trajectory through the Van Allen radiation belts and operating in actual space environments could reveal unknown systems-level and operational issues. Mission data will lower the technical and cost risk associated with future solar electric propulsion spacecraft. The flight demonstration mission would test and validate key capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements such as a 300 kilowatt solar electric transfer vehicle. This Solar Electric Propulsion Demonstration Mission Concept Studies announcement is open to all non-government United States institutions, academia, industry and nonprofit organizations. NASA anticipates making multiple firm-fixed-priced awards with a total value up to $2 million. The deadline for submitting proposals is August 4.
（ http://www.spacenews.com/civil/qinetiq-supply-ion-thrusters-for-bepicolombo.html ） Qinetiq to Supply Ion Thrusters for BepiColombo By Peter B. de Selding PARIS Europes BepiColombo satellite mission to Mercury will be propelled by new-generation ion-electric thrusters built by Qinetiq of Britain under a contract with BepiColombo prime contractor Astrium Satellites, Qinetiq announced Sept. 2. Under the contract, valued at 23 million British pounds ($37.4 million), Farnborough, England-based Qinetiq will provide four T6 ion thrusters for BepiColombo, which is being built for the European Space Agency (ESA) and scheduled for launch in 2014. The contract follows the successful in-orbit demonstration of Qinetiqs smaller T5 ion thrusters aboard ESAs GOCE gravity-field-measuring satellite, which was launched in March. ESA officials have said Qinetiqs ion thrusters, which had never before flown in space, have performed to specification. Qinetiq said its ion thrusters are 10 times more efficient than traditional chemical thrusters used on satellites. Qinetiq Chief Executive Graham Love said the BepiColombo work is the largest space-hardware contract ever won by the company. He said he hopes to sell the thrusters for future deep-space missions and in the commercial communications satellite market as well. （ http://news.mod.gov.cn/tech/2009-09/05/content_4084878.htm ） 欧空局（ESA）已经宣布，它最新的被称作BepiColombo的卫星将使用离子电推进器驶向水星，该离子推进器由英国奎蒂克（QinetiQ）公司开发。 欧空局已经在它的GOCE卫星上使用过一个更小型的同类系统由T5离子推进器组成。GOCE在09年早些时候发射，用来测量地球的重力场。BepiColombo计划在2014年发射，将使用4个T6离子推进器。奎蒂克公司称用于两个飞行器的推进器的效率比传统的化学推进器高十倍。欧空局授予奎蒂克公司价值3740万美元合同建造电推进系统。 尽管化学推进系统目前在太空被广泛使用，但是因为需要大量的燃料，它们对于像探测水星这样的深空任务来说不够高效。电推进系统产生的推进力较小，但是它们非常高效，因此对于远程飞行任务来说是理想的推进系统。 离子推进通过电子化或电离气体，并且加速由此产生的离子来推进航天器。此概念在50年前被首次提出，首个使用离子推进的航天器为1998年发射的深空1号（DS1）。从那时起，除了GOCE，仅有少量的其他非商业航天器使用过离子推进：NASA飞往太阳系之外的拂晓飞行任务在2007年发射；日本的深空小行星样本返回任务隼鸟在2003年发射；欧空局的SMART-1航天器在2003年发射并在2006年撞向月球。但使用离子推进器的商业通信卫星很多。NASA最近完成了一种新的离子推进系统的测试，这种系统将用于地球轨道和太阳系航天器，可能准备2013年发射。 虽然技术还需要一些微调，以便使这些发动机更加高效、紧凑和经济，但许多专家认为对于复杂的、需要更多能量的行星任务，离子电推进是肯定的选择。（中国航天工程咨询中心 谢慧敏）
标签: 深空探测
