Overview of NASA's Pulsed Plasma Thruster Development Program

NASA's Pulsed Plasma Thruster Program consists of flight demonstration experiments, base research, and development efforts being conducted through a combination of in-house work, contracts and collaborative programs. The program receives sponsorship from Energetics Project, the New Millennium Program, and the Small Business Innovative Research Program. The Energetics Project sponsors basic and fundamental research to increase thruster life, improve thruster performance and reduce system mass. The New Millennium Program sponsors the in-orbit operation of the Pulsed Plasma Thruster experiment on the Earth Observing-1 spacecraft. The Small Business Innovative Research Program sponsors the development of innovative diamond-film capacitors, piezoelectric ignitors and advanced fuels. Programmatic background, recent technical accomplishments, and future activities for each programmatic element are provided. I. Introduction The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) Research and Development program consists of elements supported by the Energetics Project, the New Millennium Program, and the Small Business Innovative Research Program. The Energetics Project is formerly an element of the Aerospace Technology Enterprise's (Code R) Mission and Science Measurement Technology theme, which is being transitioned to the Human & Robotics Technology theme in the new Office of Exploration at NASA Headquarters. The Energetics Project addresses the technology development through an improved understanding of the fundamental physics and the identification and resolution of design challenges to advance the technology. Current activities include investigating the challenges of improving performance, extending life, and miniaturizing designs. The New Millennium Program has been supporting the flight demonstration of an experiment on the Earth Observing-1 satellite. Recent demonstrations have included the interrogation of the impacts of PPT operation on communications signals, optics sensors, and other spacecraft payloads. The next phase of the demonstration would be planning operations during deorbit maneuvers. The Small Business Innovative Research Program is providing opportunities for small business to develop novel component technologies for future generations of PPTs, including diamond film capacitors, piezoelectric igniters and advanced solid fuels.