Experimental testing of inductively coupled radiofrequency plasma thruster for atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion system

The Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion（ABEP）technology can capture the rarefied atmosphere as the propellant for electric thrusters, potentially meeting the thrust requirements of Ultra-Low Earth Orbit（ULEO）satellites during operation without carrying any propellant from the ground. This paper designs a RadioFrequency（RF）plasma thruster through adding a nozzle and an enhanced magnetic field based on the Inductively Coupled Plasma（ICP）source. The main atmospheric components in the ULEO are nitrogen and atomic oxygen. Given the low ionization energy of atomic oxygen and its difficulty in storage and use under ground conditions, experiments were conducted on the thruster using nitrogen as the propellant with different gas flows, RF powers, and magnetic field settings. Results indicate that the use of the enhanced magnetic field can effectively improve the thrust and specific impulse of the thruster, and achieve full compensation for the sparse atmospheric drag within a certain orbital range, thus providing an effective approach for the development and application of ABEP systems.