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[Abstract] The μ10 cathode-less electron cyclotron resonance ion engines made the Hayabusa spacecraft rendezvous with the asteroid Itokawa in 2005. Though the spacecraft was seriously damaged after the successful soft-landing and lift-off, the xenon cold gas jets from the ion engines rescued the Hayabusa. New attitude stabilization method using a single reaction wheel, the ion beam jets, and the solar pressure was established and enabled the homeward journey aiming the Earth return on 2010. The total accumulated operational time of the ion engines reaches 28,000 hours at the end of May 2007. |
