Numerical assessment of plume heat and mechanical loads and contamination on multi-layer insulation in hard vacuum

► Mechanical and heat loads on the MLI have been computed for steady and pulse mode of the thruster firing. ► The loads in pulse mode are higher by an order of magnitude but they act a very short time only. ► Droplets generated at the nozzle lip can reach the MLI only when their initial velocities are higher than 6 m/s. ► Droplet contamination is higher by one order magnitude for the thruster firing against a satellite spin.