Direct thrust measurements of 2U-sized bi-directional wave plasma thruster

Abstract

The results of direct thrust measurements of the thruster with multiple thrust vectoring capability utilizing Kr are presented. The thruster is a 2U size system. The tested bi-directional plasma thruster consists of the thruster head, inbuilt rf generator creating 9 MHz current applied to the antenna, inbuilt power supply for the set of electromagnets, and thruster control system. The thruster head consists of the set of electromagnets, open-ended gas discharge chamber, and antenna. During thrust measurements, the magnitude and configuration of the external static magnetic field, the propellant flow rate, and the power modes of the rf generator are changed. The magnitude of the magnetic field in current units is adjusted in the range of 3…5 A. The propellant flow rate is adjusted in the range of 2…100 sccm. The power modes of the rf generator are adjusted in the range of 50…250 where the value 250 corresponds to a power of 100 W. The dynamic background pressure in the vacuum chamber is 0.1 Pa at 100 sccm. Two specific thrust modes are defined: the high thrust mode (∼7 mN) and the high specific impulse mode (∼900 s).