A plasma thruster comprises a cylindrical discharge channel (1), an injector (4), a RF antenna surrounding the discharge channel (1) and a device (3) for generating an axial static magnetic field in the discharge channel (1). The RF antenna is a cylindrical birdcage antenna (2) formed of several electrically conductive parallel legs (10) connected by two end rings (11) including capacitors (12) between adjacent legs (10) in each case. The two end rings (11) with the capacitors (12) are formed on two printed circuit boards (14) to which the legs (10) are attached, said printed circuit boards (14) having a through opening for the discharge channel (1). The antenna maximizes electrical coupling efficiency and provides resulting electromagnetic fields for quasi-neutral plasma acceleration along with the magnetic field effect provided by the externally applied magnetic field. This plasma thruster allows an easy upscaling or downscaling due to the printed circuit boards and is particularly suitable for low power applications like propulsion for smaller spacecrafts or satellites.

The present disclosure provides a cooling structure of heat pipe for superconducting magneto plasma dynamic thruster having a cylindrical structure and includes a cathode, an intermediate connector and an anode. The cathode is arranged inside the intermediate connector, the anode is arranged outside the intermediate connector; the cathode is provided with a cathode cooling mechanism, and the anode is provided with an anode cooling mechanism. The cathode cooling mechanism includes a cathode heat pipe and a cathode heat dissipation fin. The anode heat pipe cooling mechanism includes an anode heat pipe and an anode heat dissipation fin.

A micro-hollow cathode discharge device. The device includes a first electrode layer comprising a first electrode. A hole is disposed in the first electrode layer. The device also includes a dielectric layer having a first surface that is disposed on the first electrode layer. The hole continues from the first electrode layer through the dielectric layer. The device also includes a semi-conducting layer disposed on a second surface of the dielectric layer opposite the first surface. The semi-conducting layer is a semiconductor material that spans across the hole such that the hole terminates at the semi-conducting layer. The device also includes a second electrode layer disposed on the semi-conducting layer opposite the dielectric layer.

A fuel-free spacecraft propelling system having an open-ended outer cylinder of a propelling device and an atomic oxygen collecting device is disclosed. The latter is arranged at the forwardly-propelled front end of the outer cylinder and is hermetically connected with an RF generating device and an ion cyclotron wave heating device through a magnetic confinement device. A spiral wave discharge oxygen plasma inlet and a spiral wave discharge oxygen plasma outlet in the ion cyclotron wave heating device are respectively provided with another magnetic confinement device. The propulsion of the invention does not need to carry the propellant, which greatly reduces the launch costs, and enables a spacecraft to advantageously have an increased orbit life over existing spacecraft systems.

An electromagnetic energy momentum thruster has a cavity resonator and an electromagnetic radiation source for emitting an electromagnetic wave in evanescence into the cavity resonator. The electromagnetic wave produces a greater electromagnetic field amplitude and a greater electromagnetic radiation pressure on a primary interior surface area of the cavity resonator than on a secondary interior surface area of the cavity resonator. The difference between the electromagnetic field amplitude on the primary interior surface area and on the secondary interior surface area of the cavity resonator forms a highly directional electromagnetic energy momentum tensor and provides a highly directional general relativistic metric tensor. As a result, a force is produced on the cavity resonator in the form of a thrust or an acceleration that propels the device in a direction substantially perpendicular to the primary interior surface area.

The present technology is directed to plasma systems and associated methods, including propulsion systems for flight vehicles. A representative system includes a plurality of coils. The coils include a first coil positioned along a force axis, a second coil positioned along the force axis and spaced apart from the first coil, and a third coil that is magnetically shielded. A controller is operatively coupled to the coils and is configured to (a) increase energy to the first coil to generate a magnetic field in a portion of the plasma adjacent to the first coil, (b) decrease energy to the first coil and increase energy to the second coil to translate the resulting superposed magnetic field through the plasma to a position adjacent the second coil, and (c) transfer energy from the second coil to the third coil and decrease energy to the second coil to reduce the magnetic field in the plasma.

An inductive plasma acceleration apparatus, comprising a pulse laser assembly, a pulsed discharge assembly, an exciting coil assembly, a solid state working medium, and a control assembly; the exciting coil assembly is electrically connected to the pulsed discharge assembly such that a strong pulse current is produced in the exciting coil assembly during the discharge process of the pulse discharge assembly, and an inductive pulse electromagnetic field is excited around the exciting coil assembly; the solid state working medium is positioned on the optical path of a pulse laser emitted by the pulse laser assembly such that the solid state working medium produces a pulse gas under the ablation action of the pulse laser, and the inductive pulse electromagnetic field is positioned on the circulation gas path of the pulse gas such that the pulse gas can enter the inductive pulse electromagnetic field.

An intelligent control gas suction-type electric propulsion system applicable to multi-flow regimes: an ultra-low orbit rare gas is used as a working medium for attitude orbit control and resistance compensation propulsion, the gas is collected and inputted into an intelligent feedback pressurization system by means of a parabolic gas intake duct, intelligent feedback and pressurization are performed on the gas working medium by a molecular pump and a gas pump and the medium is stored in a working fluid storage tank so as to supply a hybrid thruster system that consists of seven sets of electric thrusters to generate thrust, which may achieve multiple thrust modes, and achieve the purpose of attitude orbit control and resistance compensation.

A plasma propulsion system with no internal electrodes is described. Gas is flowed into an insulated axisymmetric plasma liner. A radio frequency antenna generates an inductive or helicon plasma discharge within the liner. The plasma is accelerated through a converging/diverging magnetic field out of the liner, generating thrust.

A method and apparatus uses a VLF transmitter, a VLF receiver, and/or a low earth orbit satellite including a rocket engine. A VLF wave transmitted into space is converted to an ambient wave. The ambient wave acts as a signal wave for a whistler traveling wave parametric amplifier. Rocket exhaust is generated in atmospheric plasma. The rocket exhaust includes kinetic energy acting as a Lower Hybrid wave source. The Lower Hybrid wave source produces a Lower Hybrid wave, which acts as a pump wave for the parametric amplifier. Nonlinear mixing of the signal wave and the pump wave in the atmospheric plasma simultaneously parametrically amplifies the ambient wave and generates an idler wave and a parametrically amplified wave. The parametrically amplified wave (1) reduces the density of energetic protons or killer electrons in the Van Allen radiation belt, and (2) improves communications between the VLF transmitter and VLF receiver.