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Measurements of magnetic and electrostatic fluctuations in an applied field magneto-plasma-dynamic thruster have shown that a m/n=1/1 kink mode becomes unstable whenever the Kruskal-Shafranov limit is violated. A positive correlation is established between the kink and performance degradation at high current, which has until now prevented the use of this kind of thruster in space missions.

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This paper presents the results of a series of tests performed on a set of field emission electric propulsion (FEEP) emitters, including recording of the current/voltage characteristic curves and ion beam scanning with electrostatic probes, This work was aimed at collecting reliable, systematic thruster performance data to be used as a basis for the definition of a reference thruster mathematical model (not reported here). Four FEEP emitters with three different slit height values were tested. Thrust produced covered the 1-170 uN range. Repeatability of thruster performance was found to depend on the degree of wetting of the emitter slit and on the presence of glow discharge between the electrodes. The latter represented an undesired effect and was therefore eliminated after the first series of experiments. Wetting, on the contrary, proved to be of the utmost importance. In some cases, thruster performance improved by up to as much as 150% within a few days of the beginning of the test, as a result of enhanced slit wetting

Hollow cathodes are electron sources used for the gas ionization and the beam neutralization in both ion and Hall effect thrusters (HETs). A reduction of power and propellant consumption from the cathode is particularly needed in small satellite applications, where power and mass budgets are inherently limited. Concurrently, the interest in high-power HETs is increasingly fostered for a number of space applications, including final positioning and station-keeping of Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, spacecraft transfers from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to GEO, and deep-space exploration missions. As such, several hollow cathodes have been developed and tested at Sitael, each conceived for a specific power class of thrusters. A numerical model was used during the cathode design to define the geometry, in accordance with the thruster unit specifications in terms of discharge current, mass flow rate, and lifetime. Lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) hollow cathodes were successfully developed for HETs with discharge power ranging from 100 W to 20 kW. Experimental campaigns were carried out in both stand-alone and coupled configurations, to verify the operation of the cathodes and validate the numerical model. The comparison between experimental and theoretical results are presented, offering a sound framework to drive the design of future hollow cathodes.