Low Cost Hollow Cathode

A low cost hollow cathode is proposed for use with various xenon based electric propulsion systems. In addition to a factor of five reduction in cost the proposed device would offer several advantages over the current NASA developed state-of-art hollow cathode. These advantages include a reduction in the susceptibility to damage through launch vibrations, the replacement of the life limiting swaged heater with an innovative flight proven design with a substantially higher lifetime, and the possibilty to disassemble and replace the contamination sensitive electron emitter. These improvements would be implemented in such a way as to leverage the sunstantial government investment in this technology. The commercial availability of this technology to potential military and commercial users of electric propulsion could be mission enabling if cost is a sianificant design criteria. A commercial hollow cathode with significant advantages over the state-of-art device will be available at low cost for military and commercial electric propulsion systems