适用于微纳卫星的长寿命电喷推力器设计与性能研究

Micro nano satellites require orbit maintenance for long-term space missions in low orbit, which places demands on the volume, mass, power, and total impulse of the micro propulsion system. Ionic liquid electrospray thrusters have the characteristics of small size, light mass, low power, and plume self-neutralization, making them one of the most promising propulsion technologies for micro nano satellites. However, at present, such thrusters have the problems of low lifespan and small total impulse, and still cannot meet the space mission requirements for long-term orbit maintenance of micro nano satellites. This article takes a 6U cubic star with a mass of 10 kg operating in a 600 km orbit for one year as an example, calculates the total impulse requirement for its orbit maintenance task, designs a single module ionic liquid electrospray thruster prototype, and conducts morphology testing, electrical testing, thrust testing, and lifespan testing on it. The prototype size of the thruster is 48 mm×48 mm×28 mm, with a dry weight of 80 g. It operates within the voltage range of -3 500~-2 000 V and 2 000~3 500 V, with a maximum power of 2.0 W. The measured thrust output is 3~37 μN, and the estimated maximum thrust can reach 50 μN. After 600 hours of life testing, the total impulse is calculated to be 21.33 N·s, and the actual specific impulse is 544~801 s. On this basis, expanding to multiple module prototypes is expected to meet the total impulse requirements for long-term orbit maintenance of micro nano satellites.