Total impulse improvement of coaxial pulsed plasma thruster for small satellite

Abstract

Research and development on pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) for small satellites has been conducted in Tokyo Metropolitan University (TMU). A PPT with coaxial electrode and PTFE cavity has been considered to gain larger impulse bit than that of parallel plate PPT. In this paper, the objectives are development of the PPTs with large impulse bit and large total impulse, to apply to a propulsion system for a small satellite. The electrodes and the propellant configuration were considered. As a result, divergent nozzle and larger cathode diameter improved thrust performances and larger impulse bit from 300 to 800 μNs was achieved. And the current reversal was appeared remarkable as its operation accumulated. Then, propellant-feeding mechanism was considered to improve its total impulse. With exchange of five propellants in each 20,000 shots, total impulse of 40 Ns was obtained. These results indicate that the PPT developed in TMU would provide various missions for a small satellite.