Performance degradation mechanism of a helicon plasma thruster Date: May 13, 2015 Source: Tohoku University Summary: A part of the performance degradation mechanism of the advanced, electrodeless ...

A part of the performance degradation mechanism of the advanced, electrodeless, helicon plasma thruster with a magnetic nozzle, has been revealed by the research group of Dr. Kazunori Takahashi ...

An research group has discovered new technology to remove space debris using a single propulsion system in a helicon plasma thruster. The Earth is currently surrounded by debris launched into ...

Mini-Helicon follows in the footsteps of plasma and ion thrusters tested on a handful of earlier satellites, including Deep Space 1, Japan’s Hayabusa and the Dawn mission to asteroids Ceres and ...

Helicon thrusters have been recently considered a possible new electric propulsion system thanks to the acceleration mechanism called “current free double layer “ which allows specific impulse up to ...

Calculations suggest that a helicon double layer thruster would take up a little more space than the main electric thruster on ESA's SMART-1 mission, yet it could potentially deliver many times ...

Plasma thrusters used on satellites could be much more powerful than previously believed. It has been believed that Hall thrusters, an efficient kind of electric propulsion widely used in orbit, ...

Helicon plasma sources can create plasma with ionization fractions as high as ~90 %. This decoupling of plasma generation and plasma acceleration allows for a feature few electric thrusters possess ...

"The helicon plasma thruster is an electrode-less system, which allows it to undertake long operations performed at a high-power level," says research team leader Kazunori Takahashi.

Plasma thrusters used on satellites could be much more powerful than previously believed. It has been believed that Hall thrusters, an efficient kind of electric propulsion widely used in orbit, ...

image: Helicon Plasma Thruster (HPT) propellant tests in the vacuum chamber view more . Credit: Credits: SENER Aeroespacial. The HPT is a new electric space propulsion technology that can provide ...

One study demonstrated a magnetic nozzle radiofrequency plasma thruster achieving an efficiency approaching twenty per cent through refined antenna modes and propellant injection strategies [4].