Experimental and numerical investigations on the thrust production process of Magnetoplasma sail

Abstract

Research status of spacecraft propulsion using the energy of the solar wind in Japan is overviewed. Experimental and numerical studies showed that moderately sized magnetic sails in the ion inertial scale magnetosphere (∼100 km) could produce Newton-class thrust. In the same scale length, magnetic cavity size was successfully controlled in the laboratory experiment of magnetic sail with a plasma jet (Magnetoplasma sail, MPS), but so far, no significant thrust increment was observed in the experiment. On the contrary, MPS concept was tested in MHD scale by numerical simulation, and thrust increment from pure MagSail to MPS as much as 90% was obtained. Currently, we are continuing our experimental and numerical efforts to make a feasibly sized Magnetoplasma sail (10∼100 km magnetosphere) in a transitional regime between ion scale and MHD scale by optimizing the magnetic field inflation process of MPS. Copyright © 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.