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PULSED PLASMA THRUSTERS Busek’s micro-Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (μPPTs) have been in development since 2002 based upon

technology originally developed at AFRL. These simple units feature no moving parts and non-toxic

Teflon propellant. Each unit contains all the necessary electronics (PPU/DCIU), requiring only power

and command input from the host spacecraft. Smaller, more advanced units are in active development

for CubeSat propulsion systems. Generally, these thrusters offer the following benefits:

• Low jitter precision manoeuvres • Non-toxic solid Teflon propellant • No moving parts, no pressurized containers • Long storage life • Large temperature range μPPT-1 (MPACS) Four 3-axis μPPTs, or MPACS (Micro Propulsion Attitude Control System),

have successfully flown on FalconSat-3 (launched 2007). These thruster

clusters, pictured at right, feature the following

• Precise, pulsed impulse bits (80μN-s) • Direct flight heritage • Solid propellant – no pressurized containers, no moving parts • Low power: < 10W μPPT-2 A multiplexed array of 9 μPPTs was constructed and delivered to the Air Force Institute of

Technology as a lab-model test unit. This unit featured flight heritage μPPTs technology, increased

the amount of total impulse of the MPACS unit while decreasing required power and digital

electronics.

μPPT-3 The latest generation of the μPPT family consumes only 4W, 0.5kg and provides both primary and

attitude control propulsion for CubeSats. This unit fits within a 10 x 10 x 5cm volume and includes all

necessary power, charging, and digital interface electronics. Total impulse is over 600 N-s.