Engineers at NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne are beginning proficiency testing of advanced solar-powered (SEP) engines that will change the propulsion game in space. This work will result in these innovative engines flying aboard Gatewa from 2025, making it the most powerful SEP spacecraft ever flown. Gateway is a lunar space station that will be a key part of NASA’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and the first black person on the moon.

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) technology, led by NASA’s Demonstration Missions Program, provides 12 kilowatts of thrust; this is more than double the power of existing space electric propulsion systems. These innovative systems provide exceptionally high fuel economy at low thrust, providing mission flexibility and capabilities not found in conventional chemical propulsion systems. Three AEPS engines will be used in the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) to maneuver the Gateway during its planned minimum 15-year mission.

“AEPS is truly a next-generation technology,” said Clayton Kachele, AEPS project manager at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “While existing power stations consume around four and a half kilowatts of energy, we’re significantly increasing the power in the single engine here. This capability opens up a world of possibilities for future space exploration, and AEPS will get us there further and faster.”

AEPS must pass proficiency testing before being certified to fly on the Gateway. During these tests, the combined NASA and Aerojet team will use two qualification units, models that are nearly identical to the engines that will fly on PPE.

In early July, engineers from NASA Glenn, the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Aerojet Rocketdyne began a year-long series of tests at multiple locations to ensure the AEPS was working properly and meeting requirements. Engineers will first perform an acceptance test on one of these engine designs to ensure it is properly designed, then subject it to extreme vibration, shock, and thermal conditions similar to those they will encounter during launch and flight. The team will also run the device before and after these tests at various power levels to simulate flight conditions and collect performance data.

“This testing campaign is very important,” said AEPS chief engineer Rohit Shastri. “This is the final stage before we test the engines that will actually fly on the Gateway.”

A second qualification unit will arrive at NASA in 2024 to undergo abrasion tests simulating the conditions expected to be experienced by AEPS during the Gateway’s initial ascent and transition to lunar orbit. NASA expects the engines to run for 23,000 hours during a nearly four-year test campaign in NASA’s massive vacuum chambers at Glenn’s.

To ensure Gateway is ready for launch and transit to the Moon, actual PPE flight engines are currently being built and will be launched into space before the full multi-year wear test is complete.

“Launch dates are very important for NASA missions,” said Kachele. “In this case, NASA is trying to speed up the process, and we’re doing it wisely. We’re going to do several thousand hours of wear testing to verify performance before we release the PPE. Then we’re going to AEPS for future customers, including NASA and other government agencies and commercial partners.” We will complete the last 15,000 hours to fully qualify.”

Engineers say a powerful electric motor is critical for future manned transportation systems that will help NASA explore deeper space beyond the Moon.

“It will be interesting to see what tasks this technology ultimately accomplishes,” Shastri said. “We’re pushing the boundaries of what’s been done and taking giant strides forward with talent and opportunity.”

Development of NASA’s high-power solar electric motor is led by NASA’s Glenn, under the direction of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Office. Source