Air-intake Performance Estimation of Air-breathing Ion Engines

The air-breathing ion engine (ABIE) is a new type of electric propulsion system to be used to compensate the aerodynamic drag of the satellite orbiting at extremely low altitudes. To save the propellant mass for a long operation lifetime, it inhales the low-density atmosphere surrounding the satellite and use it as the propellant of ion engines. Since feasibility and performance of the ABIE depend strongly on the compression ratio and the air-intake efficiency, numerical analysis has been performed by means of the direct-simulation Monte-Carlo method to clarify the characteristics of the air-intake performance in highly rarefied flows. Influences of the flight altitude, the aspect-ratio of the air-intake duct, and the angle of attack are investigated.