A micro PPT for Cubesat application: Design and preliminary experimental results

Cubesats, allowing for cheap access to space, are one of the fastest growing sectors in the space industry. A Pulsed Plasma Thruster to perform drag compensation for a Cubesat platform, with the aim of doubling the time needed for the Cubesat to naturally de-orbit (hence doubling its lifetime) is currently under development by Clyde Space Ltd., Mars Space Ltd. and the University of Southampton under an ESA funded project. In this paper the design of the thruster will be presented together with preliminary experimental results. The preliminary test results suggest that the thruster will be able to meet the mission requirements.