Improved control architecture and strategy for iodine ion thruster following in-orbit demonstration and system-level radiation testing

Abstract

This paper describes the general control strategy of the NPT30-I2, the improvements made to the software architecture and hardware following the on-orbit demonstration and the result of a system-level radiation test campaign. It details the iodine ion thruster control architecture, algorithm, and design approach. In addition, it presents data from the in-orbit demonstration. The results of the system-level radiation tests and the redesign of the system to reduce radiation sensitivity will also be discussed.