Plasma engine developed by Russian scientists for CubeSat is undergoing final tests
A joint group of scientists from MEPhI and representatives of Sputniks announced that they have begun an active phase of testing a plasma engine designed for small spacecraft.
So, according to experts, such a propulsion device will enable nanosatellites at the end of their "life cycle "independently lower its orbit and quickly direct them into the dense layers of the atmosphere, and burn their.
Why do nanosatellites need engines at all?
At the moment, nanosatellites produced according to the format CubeSat, propulsion systems are simply not provided. For this reason, they are incapable of independently changing the orbit. It turns out that out-of-order and spent nanosatellites will hang out in orbit for up to ten years, thereby increasing the risk of collisions with other objects.
It is rather difficult to select a power plant that allows for nanosatellites, because there are serious restrictions on weight and dimensions for such installations. Safety requirements also do not allow the use of explosive means, as well as compressed gas cylinders, and it turns out that the most suitable option is a plasma engine.
For reference. A plasma engine is a special subtype of an electric rocket engine. In such an installation, the gas is directed into the working annular region, while the outer part is nothing more than the anode, and the inner, located closer to the outlet, is the cathode.
In this case, when the operating voltage is applied to the electrodes, an ionizing discharge is formed, and a plasma is formed. And the plasma already obtained in this way, due to the action of the Lorentz force, begins to move towards the exit from the working zone, thus forming the necessary thrust.
Under normal conditions, a tremendous amount of energy is required to keep a plasma thruster operating. But Russian engineers from MEPhI managed to start such an engine from a small capacitor bank.
The installation created by the engineers was named VERA (Volume-Effective Rocket-propulsion Assembly) and weighs only 400 grams, and its dimensions are 89 x 95 x 60 mm.
In this case, polyacetal plastic is used as a working fluid in the installation. The burned-out plastic is converted into plasma and ejected from the engine nozzle, thus forming the necessary thrust.
So, according to preliminary calculations, the rated thrust VERA is 20 micronewtons. And in the afterburner mode, in theory, the engine is capable of delivering up to 50 micronewtons.
Engineers have already begun to conduct the so-called firing tests of the VERA propulsion system, and if everything goes according to plan, then in 2022 the engines will be tested directly in orbit as part of nanosatellites of the CubeSat 3U.
According to the developers, the use of plasma engines on nanosatellites will allow them to independently adjust the orbit height, and upon completion of their operation, de-orbit them and, thus, reduce by three times the time before their combustion in the upper layers atmosphere.
Well, let's see how Russian plasma engines will "take root" on nanosatellites.
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