Experimental investigation of micro plasma thruster for a microscale spacecraft propulsion system

Micro spacecraft has recently attracted increasing attentions in space technology owing to a reduced cost for the overall space mission. To realize such a micro-scale spacecraft, every component must be miniaturized and hence, micro propulsion system is no exception. In this report, a micro thruster powered by microdischarge plasma is studied experimentally. A micro plasma thruster consists of two stages of direct current discharges that are employed to preheat propellant gas to high temperature. The length of dual-stage thruster varies from 2 mm to 5 mm with a diameter of several 100´s of μm. The formation and characteristic of jet plume are analyzed in details by high-speed imaging and electrical characterization at various operating conditions. The effect of feeding a fuel gas on the system will be compared with the cases of stagnant environment.