The Radio-frequency Micro Ion Thruster Design And Experimental Study

RF ion thruster (RIT) is one of the electric propulsion, having the main advantages of electrical propulsion. The specific impulse of the electric propulsion is much higher than chemical rocket propulsion, and has a simple and compact structure, light weight and other characteristics, especially performs tasks such as orbit control and space exploration and other tasks, so as a new power plant it has been widespread concerned by the world’s space powers since the 1960s.Electric propulsion is a technology of using electricity heating, dissociation and accelerate working fluid, to form a high-speed jet and produce thrust. According to the ways of accelerating propellant, it can be divided into electric heating, electrostatic and electromagnetic. The electrothermal thruster include resistance heating, electric arc heating and microwave heating, etc.; electrostatic thruster include electronic bombardment ion thrusters, RF ion thrusters, microwave ion thrusters, field emission ion thrusters and contacts ion thrusters; electromagnetic thruster include pulsed plasma thrusters, hall thrusters (including static plasma thruster with anode layer thruster) and magnetic plasma propulsion, etc.In this paper, according to the requirements of the gravity field measurements, design a radio frequency micro ion thruster for precise attitude control and formation flying. RF-ion thruster include the pusher main body, power supply and control unit, the RF generator, pressure control unit, the flow control unit, and neutralizer. According to its working principle, the structure has been carried out and conducted a preliminary firing test.