DEVELOPMENT OF A MICRO PULSED PLASMA THRUSTER FOR THE DAWGSTAR NANOSATELLITE

摘要: The design and testing of a micro-Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) is presented. Developed for the University Washington's Dawgstar nanosatellite, micro-PPT will provide formation keeping, orbit maintenance attitude control functions to enable smallest known spacecraft with an active propulsion system. Dawgstar, funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Air Force Office Scientific (AFOSR), NASA industry; 15 kg satellite which fly in ION-F demonstrate nanosatellite flying distributed science. preliminary shows that eight thruster system can be built within 13.5 W power 5 mass budget. Preliminary at Primex Space Systems has provided proof principle, impulse bit specific data. Further lifetime Washington validated propellant feed predicted capacitor lifetime. Data presented single consuming less than 6.8 produce sufficient small low Earth orbit, while meeting stringent volume requirements.