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Propulsion and Power

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Ionic liquid

Publication Year

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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Lower Limits Of Performance Of An Electrospray Thruster Using A Direct Measurement Method, Caitlin M. Bunce May 2024

Lower Limits Of Performance Of An Electrospray Thruster Using A Direct Measurement Method, Caitlin M. Bunce

Masters Theses

Nanosatellites are a growing technology that offer a more accessible way for scientific missions to be conducted in space. The number of nanosatellites launched annually continues to grow, increasing the need for a propulsion system onboard to assist in collision avoidance, station keeping, rendezvous, and other attitude adjustments. More importantly though, new rulings have dictated that all orbiting spacecraft must deorbit within five years of mission completion to help mitigate the evergrowing problem of space debris. Electrospray thrusters, a subset of electric propulsion, is a well-researched method of propulsion for nanosatellites, including the novel µSTAMPS thruster currently in development at …


A Numerical Optimization Study Of A Novel Electrospray Emitter Design, Joshua H. Howell May 2022

A Numerical Optimization Study Of A Novel Electrospray Emitter Design, Joshua H. Howell

Masters Theses

The low thrust and high specific impulse of electric propulsion has been brought to the forefront for CubeSat and small spacecraft applications. Electrospray thrusters, which operate via electrostatic principles, have seen much research, development, and application in recent years. The small sizes of the spacecraft that utilize electrospray thrusters has focused development into the miniaturization of this technology to the micro-scale. Miniaturization introduces design challenges that must be addressed, including power supply mass and footprint requirements. This consequence requires investigation into the effects of design choices on the thruster onset voltage, defined as the voltage at which ion emission begins. …