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Plasma Jet Pack Plasma Jet Pack

The removal of in-orbit constraints (small impulse bit, no preheating, large total impulse) will pave the way to new propulsion module applications, in addition to the classical ones, and consequently to new satellite missions such as in-flight formation, electric propulsion pointing, continuous accurate attitude control.


The consortium aims at achieving the validation (qualification level) and commercialisation of this propulsion module technology at the end of the project. The team consists in experts from space propulsion, space hardware development and vacuum arc physics. During this project, it is planned to develop and validate building blocks for a family of products which will have increasing performances in thrust, total impulse and specific impulse.


After analysing requirements and potential impacts, the first part of the project will be dedicated to the development and qualification of building blocks: Arc Discharge Chamber (ADC), Plasma Generator Unit (PGU), Power Propulsion Supply and Control Unit (PPSCU).
A second part of the project will focus on the PJP0-30 with a full development through an Electrical Model and a Qualification Model. This development will largely rely on technology building blocks.


The project includes a validation flight and a series of tests of the qualification model. Thanks to all the activities performed along the project, the Plasma Jet Pack will be ready to start its commercialisation phase at the beginning of 2023.

• Plasma Jet Pack 0-150W
After requirements and potential impact analysis, the first part of the project will be dedicated to building blocks development and qualification : Arc Discharge Chamber (ADC), Plasma Generator Unit (PGU), Power Propulsion Supply and Control Unit (PPSCU).
A second part of the project will be focus on the PJP0-30 with a full development through an Electrical Model and a Qualification Model. This development will largely rely on technology building blocks.
The qualification model will be tested in order to be ready to start the commercialisation phase at the beginning of 2023. Moreover a validation flight is planned during this project at the mid of 2021

  • Orbit rising
  • Station keeping
  • Orbital transfer
  • De-orbiting & re-entry
  • In-flight formation
  • Docking
  • In-flight inspection.
On demand, PJP ejects high speed neutral metallic plasma in space, and consequently, transfers momentum to the satellite. Depending on the thrust level needed, the pulse frequency can vary from 0 to f_max.

The vacuum arc thruster (VAT) physics allows eroding solid metal propellant thanks to an electrical discharge in vacuum between two electrodes: the cathode (solid propellant) and the anode (passive electrode). The PJP is classified in the pulsed electromagnetic thruster’s category. The PJP uses capacitive storage: capacitors banks are connected to the terminals of the electrodes and are waiting for the High Voltage Trigger System (HVTS) to begin the main discharge. Because the vacuum is an electrical insulator, the role of the HVTS is to provide matter in the inter-electrodes region in order to ignite the arc in vacuum at lower voltage between electrodes. Therefore, the frequency of the plasma pulses is the frequency of the HVTS.

Finally, by triggering a discharge between two electrodes, the vacuum arc physics enables sublimation, ionization and acceleration of neutral plasma from solid metallic propellant. The PJP does not have the disadvantages of other gas-fed technologies (storage tank, valves, flow control valves, piping, grid erosion, neutralizer, etc.) but has the main advantage to get solid propellant with high specific impulse. This technology offers high total impulse in a very small volume without any pre-heating process or safety integration constraints.

The PJP is at TRL 4 and the goal of the H2020 project is to upgrade it to TRL 7.

e. CNRS (including ICARE and LAPLACE laboratories), PlasmaSolve and the Universität des Bundeswehr of Munich (UBM). The main remaining challenges in order to commercialize the first product are the following ones:

  • Increase the thrust-to-power ratio
  • Perform life duration  characterisation
  • Improve the robustness of the High Voltage Triggering System – HVTS.

 

The technical work was planned with all partners and it was decided that the next six months will be dedicated to a bibliographic sharing on the physics of vacuum arc and magnetic nozzle effect. The second part of the project will be dedicated to experimental characterization and numerical simulations.

 

During the first period, COMAT has committed to produce 3 “experimental thrusters” for the ICARE, LAPLACE and UBM laboratories. These thrusters were designed collaboratively, taking into account the requirements of all partners relative to their plasma tools and probes. These experimental thrusters will enable to explore the physics of the vacuum arc and the effect of a magnetic field applied to the discharge.

 

The main objectives are to fully characterize the plasma parameters (ion charge, ionisation level, electron temperature, ion velocity, etc.) and understand the influence of magnetic field on the plasma plume and performances (thrust, specific impulse, focalization). These results will feed the PlasmaSolve company in charge of the numerical simulation of the plasma plume expansion.

 

At the end of the project, all these technical data can be used as a basis for a predictive model enabling COMAT to optimize the design of the first PJP product.

partners / contact

COMAT

[ COMAT ]

France

Luc HERRERO

Luc HERRERO

OHB SWEDEN AB

[ OHB SWEDEN AB ]

Sweden

Ashley Hallock

Ashley Hallock

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS

[ CNRS ]

France

Stéphane MAZOUFFRE

Stéphane MAZOUFFRE

UNIVERSITAET DER BUNDESWEHR MUENCHEN

[ MUNICH UNI ]

Germany

Jochen SCHEIN

Jochen SCHEIN

THALES ALENIA SPACE FRANCE SAS

[ TASF ]

France

Philippe LAMOTTE

Philippe LAMOTTE

PLASMASOLVE SRO

[ PlasmaSolve ]

Czechia

Adam OBRUSNIK

Adam OBRUSNIK

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870444.
Disclaimer: This website reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 

maps_photo.jpg

graph - chart

Start 01/01/2020
100%
End 30/04/2023
Budget allocation . M€ Budget allocation
Effort 182 p*m Effort
Effort 5 persons Full time equivalent

news

2023 - End of project

2023-04-30

Last newsletter: April 2023

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Autumn 2022 - Work in progress

2022-12-31

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Summer 2022 - Work in progress

2022-10-09

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Spring 2022 - Work in progress

2022-07-06

Spring's progress... Download our Newsletter!

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Winter 2022 - Work in progress

2022-03-31

Featuring this term: Comat, CNRS Icare & Laplace, Bundeswehr University of Munich, PlasmaSolve. Download our newsletter!

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Autumn 2021 - Work in progress

2021-12-16

Featuring this autumn: Comat, CNRS Laplace and Icare, the Bundeswehr University of Munich, PlasmaSolve. Download the file!

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Summer 2021 - Work in progress

2021-09-30

Featuring this summer: Comat, Bundeswher Universität München, Plasmasolve. Download our Newsletter!

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June 2021 - Work in progress

2021-07-05

This month, read about the PJP IOD/IOV models: download our Newsletter!

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May 2021 - Work in progress

2021-06-04

Featuring in May: Comat, Bundeswehr University of Munich, CNRS Laplace.
Download our Newsletter!

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April 2021 - Work in progress

2021-05-04

Featuring in April: CNRS Icare, PlasmaSolve, Comat

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March 2021 - Work in progress

2021-04-05

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February 2021 - Work in progress

2021-03-02

Featuring in February: Comat, the Bundeswehr University of Munich, and CNRS Icare. Download our Newsletter...

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January 2021 - Work in progress

2021-01-29

Featuring in January: Comat and CNRS Icare. Download our Newsletter!

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December 2020 - Work in progress

2021-01-04

Download our December Newsletter!


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November 2020 - Work in progress

2020-12-02

Featuring in November: Comat, CNRS Icare & Laplace. Download our Newsletter!

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October 2020 - Work in progress

2020-11-02

Featuring in October: Comat and PlasmaSolve. Download our Newsletter!

Plasma plume density

 

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September 2020 - Work in progress

2020-10-01

Featuring in September: Comat and CNRS Icare. Download our September News...

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August 2020 - Work in progress

2020-09-01

Featuring in August: Comat, CNRS (Laplace and Icare), and the Bundeswehr University of Munich. Download our News...

 

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July 2020 - Work in progress

2020-07-31

In July, new magnet designs have been tested and a special configuration of ring magnet led to a 35% thrust-to-power increase....

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June 2020 - Work in progress

2020-06-30

All technical partners received the H2020 breadboard model and began to take it over. The PJP has already been set in a vacuum...

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May 2020 - Work in progress

2020-05-31

The PJP H2020 breadboard models have successfully passed functional tests and will be delivered in early June.

Thrust...

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April 2020 - Work in progress

2020-04-30

COMAT received the mechanical parts of the experimental thrusters! Despite the Covid-19 lock-down, the electronics are being...

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March 2020 - Work in progress

2020-03-31

The COVID-19 health crisis put an end to the COMAT tests campaign but the propulsion team continued to work in teleworking.

A...

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February 2020 - Work in progress

2020-02-28

COMAT develops and manufactures a dedicated ion flux probe in collaboration with the Laplace laboratory (CNRS). This ion probe...

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PJP Project Teams

2020-01-31

Have a look at attached files to meet each PJP Partner's team!

 

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PJP characteristics

2020-01-31

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January 2020 - Work in progress

2020-01-31

COMAT’s propulsion team begins the first life test in the PJP history! They let the PJP run at 3Hz (14W) and wait for a...

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PJP Project - 1st Technical Meeting

2020-01-16

The 1st Technical Meeting of the PJP Project was held in Toulouse (France) and hosted by the Project Coordinator (COMAT) on...

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PJP Project - Kick-off Meeting

2020-01-15

The KoM of the PJP project was held at COMAT's premises in Flourens, near Toulouse (France), on January 15, 2020. The COMAT...

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Press release: Electric thruster for smallsat...

2020-01-02

Successful Horizon 2020 project selected by the European Commission for COMAT and its partners, for the development of an...

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events

2023-05-15

FINAL MEETING

The Final Meeting held at COMAT's premises was the occasion for all Partners to take stock of the major advances made possible by this collaborative effort. The work on the PJP is being continued by COMAT and several other Partners, within the MP2S Horizon Europe Project. Please visit: http://mp2s.eu for more information.

2022-06-19

IEPC Conference 2022, Boston, USA

COMAT (PJP project coordinator), PlasmaSolve and CNRS Icare (Partners) took part in this Conference held from June 19 to 23 in Boston, USA.

See corresponding papers in section "Documents - Scientific publications".

 

2022-05-10

Space Propulsion 2022

COMAT (Coordinator), CNRS Icare and PlasmaSolve (Partners) attended Space Propulsion 2022 that took place in Estoril (Portugal) from May 9 to 13, 2022. 

See the corresponding presentations in the "Documents - Scientific publications" page of this website. 

2022-04-05

EPIC workshop 2022

COMAT attended the Electric Propulsion Innovation Competitiveness 2022 in Cologne (Germany) from April 4 to 8, 2022.

2021-09-08

5th WORKSHOP ON MICROPROPULSION AND CUBESATS

COMAT, PJP project coordinator, took part in this on-line event held from September 8 to 10, 2021.

 

2021-08-07

SMALL SATELLITE CONFERENCE

COMAT, PJP project coordinator, took part in this on-line event held from August 7 to 12, 2021.

2021-03-19

Space Propulsion 2020+1

COMAT attended the Space Propulsion 2020+1 conference (on-line).

2021-03-05

5th ESA CubeSat Industry Days

COMAT, PJP project coordinator, took part in this on-line event held on June 1-3, 2021.

 

2021-02-25

2nd Workshop on Propulsion4CubeSats

COMAT, PJP project coordinator, took part in this on-line event held on April 28-29, 2021.

 

2021-02-25

SPACE PROPULSION 2020+1

COMAT, PJP project coordinator, took part in this on-line event held on March 17-19, 2021.

 

2020-08-01

34th Annual Small Satellite Conference

COMAT, PJP project coordinator, took part in this  on-line event, initially to be held on August 1-6, 2020, in Logan, USA:

 

documents

Public Deliverables

Data Management Plan

Open Research Data Pilot

Website and press review

Scientific publications

IEPC 2022 Generation of multiply charged ions

IEPC 2022 Ion jet properties in a high current, short duration vacuum arc thruster

IEPC 2022 Spatial and temporal evolution of ion and electron parameters in the plasma jet

IEPC 2024 High-speed_imaging_of_cathode_spots - High-speed imaging of cathode spots in a Vacuum Arc Thruster IEPC-2024-291 Presented at the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Toulouse, France June 23-28, 2024 E. Michaux∗ , J. Julien† and S. Mazouffre‡ Institut de Combustion, Aérothermique, Réactivité et Environnement (ICARE) - CNRS, Orléans, 45000, France

IEPC 2024 Plasma_characterization_in_a_VAT_plume - Plasma characterization in a VAT plume by optical emission spectroscopy Jean Quemeneur∗, Mathieu Masquère┴, Flavien Valensi҂, Philippe Teulet ˨, Yann Cressault⎾ LAPLACE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, 31062, France L. Herrero⎿, T. Yung‡, A. Blanchet˪ COMAT, Z.A. de Vignalis, 31130 Flourens, France

JEP 2022 Ion Electron Parameters PJP

MDPI 2023 Plasma Expansion Characterization

PJP presentation - EPIC 2023 - Plasma Jet Pack overview - Electric Propulsion International Conference 2023

SP 2022 Evolution in time and space of ion and electron properties

SP 2022 - Plasma Jet Pack

VACUUM 2023 Fractal dimension of cathode spots

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