Pulsed Plasma Thruster Technology Development and Flight Demonstration Program

Abstract

Because of anticipated near- and far-term mission needs for innovative new electric propulsion technologies, the NASA On-Board Propulsion program is sponsoring NASA Lewis Research Centers' Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) technology development program to rapidly advance PPT technology. This is a joint effort of Lewis' On-Board Propulsion Branch and Space Flight Project Branch. Building on state-of-the-art technology developed and flown in the 1970's and 1980's for Department of Defense missions, newly developed PPT program designs are realizing significant gains in system mass reduction, thrust to mass ratio, total impulse to mass ratio, and variability of impulse bit.