Greifswald 2024 – scientific programme

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SYPS: Symposium Plasmas in the Solar System

SYPS 1: Plasmas in the Solar System

SYPS 1.3: Invited Talk

Thursday, February 29, 2024, 12:00–12:30, ELP 6: HS 4

In-orbit diagnostics for artificial plasmas created by electric propulsion systems: The Heinrich Hertz Satellite Mission — •Thomas Trottenberg — Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany

The Heinrich Hertz Satellite (H2Sat) was launched in July 2023 and is now positioned in a geostationary orbit around the Earth. H2Sat is primarily a technology mission for the exploration of telecommunication techniques, but it is also equipped with a new electric propulsion system, the `Highly Efficient Multistage Plasma Thruster' (HEMPT), developed in Germany. Propulsion systems, whether chemical or electric, may imply unwanted effects on the spacecraft. In case of plasma-based electric propulsion systems, a secondary plasma is created during the operation of the thruster that surrounds the satellite. To assess its effects on the spacecraft's surface, an Electric Propulsion Plasma Diagnostic Package (EPDP) was developed by a consortium of Kiel University, von Hoerner & Sulger GmbH, and OHB System AG [1]. This presentation will describe the diagnostics and show data from on-ground tests as well as first data from the satellite.

[1] Trottenberg et al., EPJ Techn. Instrum. 8, 16 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjti/s40485-021-00073-8

Keywords: Electric propulsion; spacecraft; Plasma diagnostics; Charge-exchange collisions