Vacuum arc thruster
A vacuum arc thruster (VAT) is a form of
electric spacecraft propulsion. It uses a vacuum arc discharge, across an insulator, between two electrodes to produce thrust.[1] A metal plasma is produced from micrometer-size cathodic spots. Thus, whereas the insulator is used as propellant in a pulsed plasma thruster
, in a VAT the metallic cathode is consumed as propellant.
See also
References
- ^ Lunn, Jonathan (17 November 2016). "Vacuum Arc Thruster and Method of Operating the Same". WIPO IP Portal. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
External links
- Schein, J.; Qi, N.; Binder, R.; Krishnan, M.; Ziemer, J. K.; Polk, J. E.; Anders, A. (February 2002). "Inductive energy storage driven vacuum arc thruster". Review of Scientific Instruments. 73 (2): 925–927. .
- Chowdhury, Satyajit; Kronhaus, Igal (19 June 2020). "Characterization of Vacuum Arc Thruster Performance in Weak Magnetic Nozzle". Aerospace. 7 (6): 82. .