Design and Simulation of a Student 1.35kW Magnetically Shielded Hall-Effect Thruster

This paper presents the design, simulation, and magnetic shielding of ORB-1, a student-developed 1.35 kW Hall-effect thruster. The thruster integrates a solenoid-driven magnetic circuit, an alumina discharge channel, and a center-mounted glow discharge hollow cathode. An intermediate magnetic shielding topology is implemented to reduce wall erosion and optimize plasma confinement. Preliminary sizing and performance predictions were conducted using analytical scaling laws, while thruster behavior and magnetic shielding effectiveness were evaluated using a combination of 1-D quasi-neutral plasma solvers, hybrid-PIC simulations, and full 2-D particle-in-cell codes. Comparisons to the SPT-100 demonstrate that ORB-1 will achieve competitive thrust and efficiency for low-power, low-cost propulsion applications. These results validate the feasibility of student-led development and simulation processes of magnetically shielded Hall-effect thrusters.