Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) thruster has been chosen for a number of future space missions. High specific impulse, very low thrust levels (down to 1 μN) and extremely accurate thrust throttling capability (1-100 μN) are the characteristics that make FEEPs especially suited for drag compensation, orbit maintenance, attitude control and extremely fine pointing of satellite constellations. For these applications it is necessary to accurately verify the dependence of the thrust on the input electrical parameters by means of the accurate measurement of the propulsive force. In this paper the design of a suitable thrust stand and some results from preliminary tests on a mockup are presented. A torsion balance has been chosen, using an optical read-out system and establishing the electrical connections through the suspending lines in order to minimize the mechanical disturbances. Both static and dynamic measurements can be implemented, depending on the external disturbances and the accuracy requested. The experimental results from mock-up tests demonstrate the mechanical and electrical viability of the proposed design, confirming the theoretical analyses and the extremely high sensitivity of the balance.

Design and Testing of a Micro-Newton Thrust Stand for FEEP

D'AGOSTINO, LUCA
2000-01-01

Abstract

Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) thruster has been chosen for a number of future space missions. High specific impulse, very low thrust levels (down to 1 μN) and extremely accurate thrust throttling capability (1-100 μN) are the characteristics that make FEEPs especially suited for drag compensation, orbit maintenance, attitude control and extremely fine pointing of satellite constellations. For these applications it is necessary to accurately verify the dependence of the thrust on the input electrical parameters by means of the accurate measurement of the propulsive force. In this paper the design of a suitable thrust stand and some results from preliminary tests on a mockup are presented. A torsion balance has been chosen, using an optical read-out system and establishing the electrical connections through the suspending lines in order to minimize the mechanical disturbances. Both static and dynamic measurements can be implemented, depending on the external disturbances and the accuracy requested. The experimental results from mock-up tests demonstrate the mechanical and electrical viability of the proposed design, confirming the theoretical analyses and the extremely high sensitivity of the balance.
2000
Boccaletto, L; D'Agostino, Luca
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/165912
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