Research status and prospect of high-power wave-heating magnetoplasma thruster

The wave-heating magnetoplasma thruster possesses many advantages such as its suitability for high power propulsion (about 100 kWe-1 MWe), high thrust density (about 4×10⁵ N/m²), variable high thrust (about 1-100 N), and adjustable specific impulse (about 3 000-10 000 s). These advantages make the wave-heating magnetoplasma thruster well suited for a diverse range of future space missions with high-performance. Based on previous studies of the wave-heating magnetoplasma thruster both home and abroad, this work summarizes the technical status of the wave-heating magnetoplasma thruster in recent years, and analyzes the theoretical issues the present research faced in the development of the wave-heating magnetoplasma thruster, such as the so called single-pass ion cyclotron resonance heating, the plasma detachment controlling, the high-power density plasma diagnosing in strong magnetic fields, as well as many engineering difficulties, including the efficient thermal management and high-power RF power supplies. Finally, application directions of the wave-heating magnetoplasma thruster are prospected according to its performance characteristics.