Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Dan M. Goebel is a leading researcher in electric propulsion and space propulsion systems, whose career has been deeply focused on advancing ion thrusters, Hall thrusters, and hollow cathode technologies for demanding space missions. His work on the Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) ion thruster demonstrated operation at power levels up to 28 kW with specific impulses reaching 8,500 seconds and projected burn times of up to a decade — a landmark contribution toward enabling deep-space robotic exploration using nuclear electric propulsion. Goebel has made sustained contributions to hollow cathode technology, developing high-current lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) cathodes capable of delivering 500 amperes for high-power thrusters, and supporting critical missions such as NASA's Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission through rigorous wear testing and plasma modeling. His investigations into Hall thruster life qualification helped reshape NASA's approach to propulsion certification by combining analytical methods with experimental validation. More recently, his work on magnetically shielded Hall thrusters like the H10 has pushed operational lifetimes toward the 30,000-hour range needed for deep-space missions. Collectively, his publications have garnered dozens of citations, reflecting broad influence across the electric propulsion community.