Göttingen 2025 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 4: Low Pressure Plasmas and their Applications I

P 4.1: Invited Talk

Monday, March 31, 2025, 16:15–16:45, ZHG006

Plasma wind tunnel and plasma propulsion — •Georg Herdrich, Hendrik Burghaus, Clemens Kaiser, Johannes Oswald, Adam Pagan, Alexander Schlitzer, Martin Eberhart, Stefan Löhle, Constantin Traub, Marcel Pfeiffer, and Stefanos Fasoulas — Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme, Pfaffenwaldring 29, 70569 Stuttgart

More than 4 decades of experience have been gained in the field of electric propulsion (EP). Respective developments are summarized and foremost results are highlighted. The types of EP systems are not considered as to be competitive as it is shown by system analyses. Correspondingly, ion thrusters, Hall thrusters, thermal arcjets, or magnetoplasmadynamics (MPD) thrusters are preferable depending on the mission. Several advanced plasma propulsion designs have been developed and characterized. Among them are TIHTUS, steady state applied field MPD thrusters, PPTs, IEC-based thrusters and advanced Helicons. These devices have been characterized and show potential for future missions. With the heritage in high-power EP it was a train of thought to modify these such that they could be operated e.g. with air to emulate high enthalpy flows. Four plasma wind tunnels are in operation enabling modeling verification, the characterization and qualification of materials and the development of instrumentations (flight). The talk will also highlight the CRC ATLAS assessing VLEO. E.g. advanced Helicon-based thrusters are candidates for air breathing EP. ATLAS is far beyond: There are aspects as material characterization, modeling, enabling technologies and mission application.

Keywords: non-equilibrium plasma; diagnostics; electric propulsion; plasma wind tunnels; MHD