An in-flight plasma diagnostic package for spacecraft with electric propulsion

EPJ Techniques and Instrumentation

Davar Feili¹  Björn Schuster²  Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber²  Tony Krüger²  Alexander Spethmann²  Stephan Böttcher²  Thomas Trottenberg²  Holger Kersten²  Lars Seimetz²  Jens Laube³  Daniel Sailer⁴  Stefan Weis⁴  Alexey Lazurenko⁴  Hartmut Henkel⁵  Florian Bansemer⁵  Marcel Hesse⁵ 

[1] European Space Research & Technology Centre (ESTEC), Keplerlaan 1, NL-2201, Noordwijk, Netherlands;Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Kiel, Leibnizstraße 19, D-24098, Kiel, Germany;OHB System AG, Universitätsallee 27–29, D-28359, Bremen, Germany;Thales Deutschland GmbH, Söflinger Straße 100, D-89077, Ulm, Germany;von Hoerner & Sulger GmbH, Schlossplatz 8, D-68723, Schwetzingen, Germany;

关键词: Plasma diagnostics;    Electric spacecraft propulsion;    Ion thrusters;    Sputtering;    Charge-exchange collisions;   

DOI  :  10.1140/epjti/s40485-021-00073-8

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

The plasma diagnostics presented in this article target the plasma surrounding a spacecraft that is created by the electric thruster and its surface modifying effects. The diagnostic package includes a retarding potential analyzer, a plane Langmuir probe, and an erosion sensor. The paper describes the instrument as well as suitable test environments for mimicking the effects expected in space and shows test results. The system is to fly for the first time on the Heinrich Hertz satellite, which is scheduled to be launched in 2023. The spacecraft will be equipped with a pair of Highly Efficient Multistage Plasma Thrusters (HEMPT) and a pair of Hall thrusters for redundancy.

【 授权许可】

CC BY