While xenon will probably remain the standard propellant in the near future, some missions may require the use of alternative fuels, be it for performance or financial considerations. For a variety of reasons, krypton appears as an interesting alternative. This work is concerned with the development, and the preliminary characterization of a thruster optimized for an operation with krypton as a propellant gas. Three magnetic configurations are proposed. Far-field plume measurements of the ion properties, as well as thermal imagery, examine the ion properties and the thruster performance, both in xenon and krypton. Among the prominent results is the evolution of the ionization efficiency with the magnetized area extent. Assuming the sole presence of singly-charged species, it is possible to obtain the same ionization degree in krypton, compared to xenon, when modifying the magnetic topology in a suitable manner.
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