Design and test of a laser assisted pulsed plasma thruster prototype

3rd International Symposium on Resource Exploration and Environmental Science

生态环境科学

Zhu, Chao^1 ; Jin, Xing^1 ; Zhang, Zhiwei^1 ; Li, Nanlei^1

State Key Laboratory of Laser Propulsion and Applications University of Space Engineering Beijing, China^1

关键词: Design and tests;    Experimental test;    High reliability;    Impulse bit;    Impulse coupling coefficient;    In-space propulsion;    Laser-assisted;    Specific impulse;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/300/4/042074/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1755-1315/300/4/042074

学科分类：环境科学（综合）

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) is widely used in space propulsion due to its high reliability, specific impulse and systematic simpleness, but its improvement has been troubled for years by its low efficiency. In this paper, a novel laser assisted pulsed plasma thruster (LAPPT) prototype is designed, in which the traditional spark ignitor is replaced by 532nm laser. With a series of experimental test on LAPPT, the enhancement of impulse bit, specific impulse, impulse coupling coefficient is confirmed. This study introduces a novel method to improve PPT's performance and set a solid foundation for further research.