The disclosed propulsion system of a space vehicle and the methods of operating the propulsion system use a microwave energy source to heat propellant in a propellant chamber that pierces and traverses a waveguide carrying the microwave energy. In some implementations, the microwave energy ionizes and further heats the propellant in the propellant chamber. The partially ionized and heated propellant may exit the propellant chamber via a nozzle to generate thrust.

An ion beam generator includes an emission electrode, an extraction electrode, and an electricity generator. The emission electrode includes a substrate and a plurality of nanowires extending away from the substrate, substantially towards the extraction electrode, the nanowires having a length of 50 nm to 50 μm. The emission electrode has a source of ions including a sheet of ionic liquid formed on the substrate and at least partially immersing the nanowires. The nanowires and the substrate are electrically insulating or semiconducting, and the electricity generator is connected to the sheet of ionic liquid. The emission electrode is thus capable of sending ion beams from the ionic liquid to the extraction electrode.

A Hall thruster includes an annular discharge region and an annular cathode concentric to the annular discharge region.

Disclosed is a radio-frequency plasma generating system including a radio-frequency generator and a plasma source, the radio-frequency generator being inductively or capacitively coupled to the plasma source through a resonant electric circuit, the radio-frequency generator being adapted to receive direct current power from a direct current power supply and for generating radio-frequency power at a frequency f, the radio-frequency power including a reactive radio-frequency power oscillating in the resonant electric circuit and an active radio-frequency power absorbed by the plasma. The radio-frequency plasma generating system includes a unit for measuring an efficiency of conversion E of direct-current power to active radio-frequency power absorbed by the plasma and a unit for adjusting the frequency f as a function of the measured efficiency of conversion E to maintain the efficiency of conversion E in a predetermined range within a RF plasma operational range.

Provided are an ion thruster and a fabrication method thereof. The method for fabricating the ion thruster comprises: stacking and laminating a plurality of prefabricated ceramic chips (p) to form a front portion (51); stacking and laminating a plurality of prefabricated green ceramic chips (p) to form a rear portion (B); assembling the front portion (51) and the rear portion (B) and placing in a sintering mold, and allowing the front portion (51) to be closely fitted with a tapered portion (b1) of the rear portion (B); placing a main cathode (1) into a cathode hole (k1) on the front portion and filling the cathode hole (k1) with a ceramic slurry to fix the main cathode (1); and placing the sintering mold in a heating furnace for sintering. For the ion thruster, a modular processing method is adopted. A method of stacking a plurality of prefabricated green ceramic chips (p) together and laminating them is used when each module is manufactured. The present application has the advantages of a simple process and low cost, and the fabricated ion thruster is small in size and has good high-temperature resistance.

Ion booster for thrust generation. The invention pertains to electrical propulsion generated by the rapid acceleration of ions between asymmetrical electrodes. The invention is applicable for propulsion generation in atmospheric and space environments.

In an aspect of the invention there is provided a plasma thruster device comprising: an electrically insulating substrate, said substrate comprising one or more feed channels for feeding an electrically conductive liquid to a bridge structure; said substrate further provided with electrical terminals; said bridge structure configured to form, when provided with the electrically conductive liquid, an electrical conducting bridge; said bridge structure configured to form contact areas in electrical contact with said electrical terminals, said bridge structure thereby connecting the contact areas, said bridge structure arranged for forming a plasma of said electrically conductive liquid, when the electrically conductive liquid is ionized by a current peak flow circuit that contacts the contact areas via said electrical terminals.

In an aspect of the invention there is provided a plasma thruster device comprising: an electrically insulating substrate, said substrate comprising one or more feed channels for feeding an electrically conductive liquid to a bridge structure; said substrate further provided with electrical terminals; said bridge structure configured to form, when provided with the electrically conductive liquid, an electrical conducting bridge; said bridge structure configured to form contact areas in electrical contact with said electrical terminals, said bridge structure thereby connecting the contact areas, said bridge structure arranged for forming a plasma of said electrically conductive liquid, when the electrically conductive liquid is ionized by a current peak flow circuit that contacts the contact areas via said electrical terminals.

A pulsed metal plasma thruster (MPT) cube has a plurality of thrusters, each having a first cathode electrode and a trigger electrode separated from the first electrode by an insulator sufficient to support an initiation plasma, and a porous anode electrode positioned a separation distance from the face of all of the cathode electrodes. The cathode electrode can be either the inner electrode or the outer electrode. A power supply delivers a high voltage pulse to the trigger electrode with respect to the cathode electrode sufficient to initiate a plasma on the surface of the insulator. The plasma transfers between the anode electrode and cathode electrode of selected thrusters, thereby generating a pulse of thrust.

In one embodiment, an air-scoop includes an air inlet that air molecules enter the air-scoop through at an orbital speed when the air-scoop is moving through an atmosphere at the orbital speed. The air-scoop also includes a rotor that is rotated by a motor at a rotational speed, and the rotor includes multiple rotatable blade stages. A first one of the rotatable blade stages has a blade configuration that maximizes transparency of the first one of the rotatable blade stages to air molecules entering the air-scoop through the air inlet at the orbital speed when the rotor is rotating at the rotational speed. A last one of the rotatable blade stages has a blade configuration that maximizes opacity of the last one of the rotatable blade stages to air molecules in the air-scoop flowing directionally toward the air inlet when the rotor is rotating at the rotational speed.