Overview of TUBITAK UZAY´s electric propulsion development project (HALE)

In spacecraft technologies electric propulsion is a well-suited option to meet the in-space propulsion requirements of both near-Earth and deep space missions, promising more affordable and sustainable solutions. Savings in propellant mass and launch costs, and longer lifetime and higher specific impulse make electric propulsion systems more attractive than the chemical counterparts for commercial telecommunication and Earth observation spacecrafts. Considering the advantages of this critical technology, by the support of Turkish Ministry of Development, TUBITAK-UZAY started a project (Hall Effect thruster development project-HALE) aiming at developing electric propulsion systems to meet the in-space propulsion needs of future national missions in the short and long term. The main objective of the project is to build a test facility for experimental studies and lay the necessary technical foundation to initiate the development of electric propulsion systems, focusing on Hall Effect thrusters. This paper will present the state-of-art electric propulsion technology and summarize the current activities and future plans of TUBITAK-UZAY in this field.