THRUST MEASUREMENTS OF THE RIT-10 THRUSTER WITH A NEW TYPE OF THRUST BALANCE

Abstract

To study electric propulsion devices, accurate long-time measurements of the low thrust forces are necessary. For this purpose, a new, lightweight thrust balance was established. To evaluate the performance of this thrust balance, it was operated to perform measurements of the well-studied RIT 10 gridded-ion thruster. The new thrust balance and its performance were demonstrated, and a first estimate on accuracy and long-term stability was obtained. Although the setup was fully manufactured and calibrated, a final test using an electric thruster is still necessary. To study the behavior of the thrust balance, the RIT-10 thruster was operated for extended intervals on the DLR Electric Propulsion Balance thrust balance. The long-term stability in terms of thermal drift, effects of the fluid and electric interface, and effects of the vacuum and plasma environment onto the thrust balance were studied.