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.

A neutralizer suitable for use in an ion engine comprises a halogen gas source and an electrode tube comprising an inlet opening connected to the halogen gas source for supplying a halogen gas provided by the halogen gas source into the electrode tube, a discharge space for generating a plasma from the halogen gas supplied into the electrode tube, and an outlet opening for discharging the plasma generated in the discharge space and free electrons from the electrode tube. An electron emitter is arranged in the discharge space of the electrode tube, which is at least partially made of tungsten, a tungsten alloy or a tungsten composite material containing at least one of iridium, rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium and osmium.

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.

A Fiber-fed Pulsed Plasma Thruster (FPPT) utilizes a motor to feed PTFE fiber to its discharge region, enabling high PPT propellant throughput and variable exposed fuel area. A highly parallel ceramic capacitor bank lowers system specific mass. Impulse bits (I-bits) from 0.057-0.241 mN-s have been measured on a thrust stand with a specific impulse (Isp) of 900-2400 s, representing an enhancement from state-of-the-art PPT technology. A 1 U (10 cm×10 cm×10 cm, or 1 liter) volume FPPT thruster package will provide 2900-7700 N-s total impulse, enabling 0.6-1.6 km/s delta-V for a 5 kg CubeSat. A 1 U design variation with 590 g propellant enables as much as .sup.˜10,000 N-s and a delta-V of 2 km/s for a 5 kg CubeSat. Increasing the form factor to 2U increases propellant mass to 1.4 kg and delta-V to 10.7 km/s for an 8 kg CubeSat.

A conduit is placed between a vacuum system and the open air or other gaseous environment. A laser or other excitation source is used to ionize the air on the air-side of the conduit. An axial applied electric field is used to repel positive ions from traversing the tube and reaching the region of the vacuum. Electrons are collected in the vacuum region and disposed of using a Faraday cup. The repelled ions assist in creating a counter pressure to sweep neutral atoms out of the tube and back into the ambient air. As a result, a hollow tube can connect an evacuated volume to the open air without compromising the vacuum. This is a “windowless window.” An array of such tubes can be assembled together to increase the area of the aperture.

An ion powered assembly includes a collector assembly and an emitter assembly, comprising a plurality of conductive emitter wires supported by the emitter wire support structure. A control circuit is operatively connected to at least the emitter and collector assemblies and includes a power supply configured to provide voltage to the emitter and collector assemblies.

An apparatus, system and method for generating ionosonic lift is provided. First and second control electrodes are attached in a spaced-apart relation proximal to a top surface of a wing. An alternating potential applied to the first and second control electrodes alternately attracts and repels ions of a fluid in which the wing is immersed, causing a reciprocating flow of the ions of the fluid and of neutral molecules between the first and second control electrodes. The reciprocating flow of the ions and neutral molecules causes a reduction in pressure at the top surface of the wing, resulting in net lift applied to the wing under the Bernoulli relation.

A system can include an emitter structure connected to a reservoir containing a working material, wherein the working material is in electrical communication with a first electrode, an electrode opposing the emitter structure across a gap; and optionally a frame holding the emitter structure and the electrode.

This design processes free radical flows following physical principals that explain their movement conditioned by electromagnetic fields expressed in the convergence of induced field lines, in ways apart from existing designs. It describes specific means to obtain free radicals, process, and exhaust them within uniquely designed processing chambers.

The apparatus includes high frequency resonance transformers that exhaust free radicals into primary processing chambers generating a hot toroidal plasma, confined by an electromagnetic gate at one end of the chamber. The continuous injection of free radicals induce an increase in pressure and temperature that result in velocities greater than thermal electron velocity of the plasma. This velocity variance provides a current that generates a magnetic field component sufficient for conducing a plasma towards an exhaust port at the end of the chamber. As this plasma is exhausted, charge imbalances are realized, provoking additional accelerations of the free radicals.

An apparatus generates energetic particles and generates a plasma of a vaporized solid material and gaseous precursors for the application of coatings to surfaces of a substrate by way of condensation of plasma and for electric propulsion applications.