DESIGN OF A PULSED PLASMA THRUSTER FOR CUBESATS

CubeSats are one of the fastest growing satellite sectors in recent years. The increase in the use of these satellites by research institutions, universities, private organizations and government, make their market growth. With this demand in market, an onboard propulsion system is necessary for CubeSats. Chemical propulsion devices are too large and complex to meet the design specifications of these satellites. So, the answer to this problem appears to be electric propulsion thrusters. Electric propulsion is also advantageous for these satellites, which require a very tiny and precise amount of thrust to perform operations such as pointing, station keeping. Micro pulsed plasma thrusters (µPPTs) might be a choice because of their simple geometry, high reliability and low cost, also flexible power constraints, proven operation and solid propellant make PPTs attractive for CubeSats. In this thesis, preliminary design of µPPT for a CubeSat and data interpretation methods for measuring thrust and impulse bit of the thruster using ballistic thrust balance developed in Sitael are presented