Experimental investigation on the plasma morphology of ablative pulsed plasma thruster with tongue-shaped and flared electrodes

Abstract

Ablative pulsed plasma thrusters (APPTs) are considered as an attractive propulsion option for station-keeping and drag makeup purposes for mass- and power-limited satellites. In order to understand the physical mechanism of APPTs, high-speed camera and optical emission spectroscopy are utilized to investigate the plasma characteristics including the spatial distribution and composition between the electrodes. The plume images and spectra at different times and positions are experimentally recorded, and the spatial distribution, composition, and trajectory of plasmas can be concluded through analyzing them. With the increase of the distance from the ablation surface, two clusters of plasmas near the anode and cathode meet downstream, and the species and density of plasmas tend to be uniform.