Quick Turn Pulsed Plasma Thruster (QT-PPT) for Deorbiting Applications

CU Aerospace (CUA) proposes the further development of the Quick Turn Pulsed Plasma Thruster (QT-PPT) in configurations up to 3200s specific impulse that will provide CubeSat deorbit capability at end-of-life for LEO missions.nbsp; While classic PPT technology is mature, it has historically been limited by its size and propellant load. CUA developed the Fiber-fed PPT (FPPT) and developed miniaturized electronics subsystems including life-tested high-density energy storage via MLCC capacitors, low-erosion discharge geometry, negligible-erosion regenerative carbon igniters, compact power electronics, electromagnetic thrust vectoring, and high-performance filament feed ofnbsp;non-toxic solid Teflon propellant. QT-PPT Phase I sought to further the miniaturization and simplification of the subsystems ndash; specifically energy storage and fuel feed.nbsp;In this Phase II, CUA will leverage the prior work to build a QT-PPT system with lower size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C). The entire system including the PPU is tightly integrated onto a stack of PCBs approximately 0.5U in size, which offloads most of the manufacturing and quality control to the specialized PCB manufacturer, and enables the ldquo;Quick Turnrdquo; PPT system integrated by CUA. Recent FCC deorbit rule changes require more total impulse than was anticipated at the onset of Phase I, but QT-PPT with a fiber feed system can achieve a full 2000 km deorbit for a 12 kg spacecraft from a 0.7U thruster. The total impulse can be varied via fuel loading and capacitor energy selection, and thrust vectoring is also an option.nbsp;nbsp;For comparison, the baseline 0.5U configuration is estimated to have a specific impulse of 1400s and a total impulse of 1700N-s, enough to lower a 5.5 kg CubeSat from 1000 km to 400 km. CUArsquo;s long-term goal will be to establish the QT-PPT as a mature integrated system solution with standard lead times under 6 weeks. One flight-like QT-PPT will be delivered to NASA at the end of the Phase II program.