Leveraging existing electric propulsion capabilities for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt

Abstract

The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA), scheduled for launch in 2028, will conduct an eight-year, multi-target tour of seven main-belt asteroids, requiring over 10 km/s total delta-v and operations out to 3 AU. To meet these demands, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), in partnership with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA), developed a Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) architecture integrating two Safran Spacecraft Propulsion PPS ® 5000 Hall Effect Thrusters (HETs), a single Power Processing Unit (PPU), and Xenon Flow Controllers (XFCs) with a novel dual-pressure regulation strategy. The PPS ® 5000, originally developed for commercial use, has undergone extensive qualification and lifetime testing, demonstrating a cumulative impulse of 17.24 MN·s per thruster, throttling capability from 0.3 kW to 5 kW, and operational margins supporting EMA’s power, xenon throughput, and lifetime requirements. The dual inlet-pressure XFC configuration enables precise flow control across the full thruster operating range while remaining within thermothrottle current qualification limits. System-level coupled tests confirmed full PPU–XFC–HET compatibility across the extended operating range and current environments. This heritage-unit based SEP system minimizes technical risk while delivering the efficiency, scalability, and flexibility required for EMA and future deep-space missions with similar high-delta-v needs.