Pulsed Plasma Thruster System for Microsatellites

Rayburn, Christopher; Campbell, Mark; Mattick, A. T.

doi:10.2514/1.15422

Cited by 38 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Teflon is a widely used inert and non-toxic [118] solid propellant in PPTs, and as a result, it is of great importance to study the phenomena that occur with its use. One such phenomenon is the charring of electrodes.…”

Section: Design Considerations and Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of Cube-Satellite Propulsion Technologies and Trends

2017

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CubeSats provide a cost effective means to perform scientific and technological studies in space. Due to their affordability, CubeSat technologies have been diversely studied and developed by educational institutions, companies and space organizations all over the world. The CubeSat technology that is surveyed in this paper is the propulsion system. A propulsion system is the primary mobility device of a spacecraft and helps with orbit modifications and attitude control. This paper provides an overview of micro-propulsion technologies that have been developed or are currently being developed for CubeSats. Some of the micro-propulsion technologies listed have also flown as secondary propulsion systems on larger spacecraft. Operating principles and key design considerations for each class of propulsion system are outlined. Finally, the performance factors of micro-propulsion systems have been summarized in terms of: first, a comparison of thrust and specific impulse for all propulsion systems; second, a comparison of power and specific impulse, as also thrust-to-power ratio and specific impulse for electric propulsion systems.

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Section: Design Considerations and Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of Cube-Satellite Propulsion Technologies and Trends

2017

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“…Electrode erosion is generally much more severe at the anode than that at the cathode. Therefore, the anode, for some thrusters, is machined from a single piece of stainless steel to mitigate this effect (15) . If the anode erodes too quickly, the anode and therefore thruster lifetime will be significantly shorter than desired (16) .…”

Section: Thruster Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…If the Electrode erosion is generally much more severe at the anode than that at the cathode. Therefore, the anode, for some thrusters, is machined from a single piece of stainless steel to mitigate this effect (15) . If the nAdA one-dimenSionAl model of A pulSed plASmA thruSter 941 electrode spacing continues to increase beyond some optimal point, efficiency begins to decrease.…”

Section: Thruster Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

One-dimensional model of a pulsed plasma thruster

Nada¹

2013

Aeronaut. j. (1968)

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This paper presents a modified one dimensional model for the pulsed plasma thruster. The model takes into account the impact of thruster geometry and capacitor initial energy on plasma inductance and resistance, as well as the ablated mass per pulse. These three factors have significant impact on the performance of the thruster and have not been considered concurrently before. The model is verified by comparing the estimated specific impulse, impulse bit and thrust-to-power ratio with experimental measurements for space qualified thrusters. The maximum error is estimated to be about 8% when using the modified model, while the conventional snowplow model produces error up to about 70%. The modified model is then employed to generate design charts that would help in selecting the proper combination of thruster geometry and energy level in the preliminary design phase of a pulsed plasma thruster for different space missions.

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“…Hall thrusters, field emission electric propulsion, pulsed plasma thrusters and helicon thrusters [7][8][9]. Other innovative solutions include dual mode thrusters that have a high-thrust chemical mode and a high-I sp electric mode [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Chemical–Electric Propulsion for a Stand-Alone Mars CubeSat

Mani

Cervone

Topputo

2019

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

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Stand-alone interplanetary CubeSats require primary propulsion systems for orbit maneuvering and precise trajectory control. The current work focuses on the design and performance characterization of the combined chemical-electric propulsion systems that shall enable a stand-alone 16U CubeSat mission on a hybrid high-thrust-low-thrust trajectory from a Supersynchronous Geostationary Transfer Orbit to a circular orbit about Mars. The high-thrust chemical propulsion is used to escape Earth and to initiate stabilization at Mars. The low-thrust electric propulsion is used in heliocentric transfer, ballistic capture, and circularization. For chemical propulsion, design and performance characteristics of a monopropellant thruster and feed system utilizing ADN-based FLP-106 propellant are presented. For electric propulsion, a performance model of an Iodine-propelled inductively coupled miniature radiofrequency ion thruster is implemented to calculate the variation of thrust, specific impulse and efficiency with input power. A power constrained low-thrust trajectory optimization utilizing the thruster performance model is pursued to calculate the transfer time, ∆V and the required propellant mass for fuel-optimal and time-optimal transfers. Overall, the combined chemical-electric systems yield a feasible propulsion solution for stand-alone CubeSat missions to Mars that balances propellant mass and transfer time.

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Pulsed Plasma Thruster System for Microsatellites

Cited by 38 publications

References 16 publications

An Overview of Cube-Satellite Propulsion Technologies and Trends

An Overview of Cube-Satellite Propulsion Technologies and Trends

One-dimensional model of a pulsed plasma thruster

Combined Chemical–Electric Propulsion for a Stand-Alone Mars CubeSat

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