The VX-100
is a test-bed for developing VASIMR® components. Its magnetic field is provided by conventional water-cooled electromagnets, whose coils are made by winding heavy copper conductor around stainless steel mandrels. While these magnets cannot reach the full strength of the VX-200's superconducting magnets, they are relatively inexpensive to build, can be turned on and off in minutes, and do not involve cryogenic temperatures. Due to their rugged construction, they cannot be damaged by the behavior of the components being tested inside them. Prototypes of internal components, such as the helicon plasma source and the ion cyclotron antenna, are installed inside these magnets for testing under high power operation to determine their safety and reliability before they are incorporated into the flight-like VX-200 engine.


The 10-collector probe shown in the video measures the ion flow rate. Other parts of the video show various plasma reaction paddles, measuring the ion velocity and plasma flow rate. Additional VX-100 Video