Drive circuit for electric propulsion thruster

A method for transferring electric power from an array of solar panels on board a spacecraft to a propulsion thrust engine, including an arc jet engine or an ion engine, said engine having a start-up voltage threshold, said method comprising steps of:

• arranging said solar panels in a circuit array wherein at least a plurality of said solar panels are connected by series connection to output a voltage equal to a sum of voltages of the series connection of said solar panels, said sum of voltages being less than said start-up voltage but sufficient to maintain steady-state operation of said thrust engine;
• connecting a start-up circuit between said array of solar panels and said thrust engine, said start-up circuit having input terminals for connection across terminals of said array of solar panels and output terminals for connection with said thrust engine;
• wherein said start-up circuit comprises a switch which, upon an opening and a closing of the switch, temporarily boosts said sum of voltages beyond said start-up voltage threshold and allows said sum of said voltages to pass directly from said array of solar panels to the output terminals of said start-up circuit;
• and
• said method further comprises a step of connecting the output terminals of said start-up circuit to said thrust engine.