Index IntroductionHall thrustersAlternative propellant propertiesIonization properties (monatomic)IntroductionElectric propulsion has taken the place of the chemical propulsion system in space travel due to its high efficiency with a smaller amount of propellant. We all know that xenon is used as a propellant for plasma thrusters. This article is mainly about the discussion of an alternative propellant for xenon which in this case is iodine, the potential advantages of iodine as a propellant for Hall thrusters as a replacement for xenon are discussed. Includes a brief discussion of Hall thrusters, properties of iodine propellant, iodine testing history, test procedures, high-power test results, and applications of iodine as a propellant. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayHall thrustersThe Hall thruster consists of an anode that also acts as a gas distributor and an external cathode. The electrons from the cathode will drift towards the anode and create an axial electric field and a radial magnetic field will be created with the help of the external magnetic coil. This radial magnetic field and this axial electric field cause some of the cathode electrons to spin along the magnetic field and produce hall current. The anode gas atoms hit these electrons and are ionized and accelerated due to the electromagnetic field. Hall thrusters are capable of producing thrust between 10 and 80 km/s. Hall thrusters were first developed and used by the USSR in their meteor spacecraft in 1971, and the specific pulses were in the range (1000-2000) s (iepc). The first American HET to fly in space was the Busek BHT-200. The BHT-200 was also the first reported HET to use iodine as a propellant. Alternative Propellant Properties The preferred propellant for Hall thrusters is xenon. Xenon has an atomic mass of 131.3 amu and an ionization potential of 12.13 eV. The main disadvantage of xenon is that it is a rare, naturally occurring gas, which significantly increases production costs. Because of this factor, the hunt for alternative propellants in Hall thrusters had begun. Krypton with an atomic mass of 83.8 amu and an ionization potential of 14.0 eV is cheaper. But the performance was low due to the higher ionization potential. The next Nobel gas choice was Argon, but its ionization potential (15.8 eV) was greater than Krypton. Radon was not considered as a radioactive element. Heavy metals might have been a better choice, but since the metals could short-circuit the electrical insulators in the thrusters, this is also discarded. Meanwhile, iodine is found in abundance in nature compared to xenon, thus available at low cost. It is therefore worth examining iodine more closely as a potential propellant for Hall thrusters. Ionization Properties (Monatomic) The table compares the properties of iodine and xenon. It has been seen that iodine is lighter than xenon, which makes the ionization by impact of electrons greater but, as seen previously, the ionization potential is lower than that of xenon. Xe must be stored in high pressure tanks or cryogenic conditions. I2 is stored in the solid phase at approximately three times the density of Xe. The I2 tank pressure can be 1000 times lower than the pressure in an Xe tank. Vapor I2 is generated by heating the solid to a modest temperature, for example 80 - 100 degrees C. The temperature of the vapor path.