Micro Pulsed Plasma Thruster.

摘要

There is an increased requirement for microsatellites to support such future missions as formation-flying space-based radar, space control, and on- orbit satellite servicing. Devices that can provide precise impulse bit in the 10 micro Newton range may be enabling for a new fleet of 25-kg class spacecraft supporting these missions. In response to this need the Air Force Research Laboratory is developing a miniaturized propulsion unit: the Micro Pulsed Plasma Thruster (Micro-PPT). Like a standard PPT, The Micro-PPT uses a surface discharge across the face of a solid Teflon(TM) propellant to create and accelerate a combination of plasma and neutral vapor. However the Micro-PPT substantially differs from the standard design by using a self-igniting discharge and eliminating the separate igniter and trigger circuit from the thruster. This simplification enables the order-of- magnitude reductions in the thruster size and operational power level required to meet the microsatellite propulsion requirement.