Development of low-power plasma thrusters for small satellites

The paper presents the results of solutions to a number of practical problems, encountered during development of a new low-power plasma thruster and optimization of its configuration in order to improve its performance, as well as to reduce the energy cost of thrust generation. It provides a conceptual schematic of a plasma thruster with a hollow magnet anode. It presents the results of studies aimed at developing advanced low-power plasma thrusters within the range 70...300 W, which provide improved output parameters while having lower mass and dimensions. The development effort resulted in low-power thrusters PlaS-34 and PlaS-40. It describes the results of studies into the effects of design parameters of magnetic and discharge systems on the performance of the thrusters. It describes operational features and behavior of specific parameters of the plasma thrusters of the new system at various operating points. It demonstrates the advantages of the PlaS thrusters in comparison with known analogs, as well as their competitive edge and the promising outlook for their application.