Vacuum arc thruster

A vacuum arc thruster (VAT) is a form of electric spacecraft propulsion. It uses a vacuum arc discharge, across an insulator, between two electrodes to produce thrust.^[1] A metal plasma is produced from micrometer-size cathodic spots. Thus, whereas the insulator is used as propellant in a pulsed plasma thruster, in a VAT the metallic cathode is consumed as propellant.

References

^ Lunn, Jonathan (17 November 2016). "Vacuum Arc Thruster and Method of Operating the Same". WIPO IP Portal. Retrieved 20 October 2020.

External links

Schein, J.; Qi, N.; Binder, R.; Krishnan, M.; Ziemer, J. K.; Polk, J. E.; Anders, A. (February 2002). "Inductive energy storage driven vacuum arc thruster". Review of Scientific Instruments. 73 (2): 925–927. Bibcode:2002RScI...73..925S. doi:10.1063/1.1428784.
Chowdhury, Satyajit; Kronhaus, Igal (19 June 2020). "Characterization of Vacuum Arc Thruster Performance in Weak Magnetic Nozzle". Aerospace. 7 (6): 82. arXiv:1912.11645. Bibcode:2020Aeros...7...82C. doi:10.3390/aerospace7060082.

Spacecraft propulsion

Concepts

Rocket
Rocket engine
- Reaction engine
- Reaction mass
Thrust
- Specific impulse
- Delta-v
Staging
Rocket equation
Thermal rocket

Physical propulsion

Cold gas thruster
Water rocket
Steam rocket
Solar sail
- Diffractive
Electric sail
Magnetic sail
Solar thermal rocket
Photon rocket
WINE

Chemical propulsion

State	Liquid-propellant rocket Solid-propellant rocket Hybrid-propellant rocket
Propellants	Liquid propellant Cryogenic Hypergolic Monopropellant Bipropellant Tripropellant
Power cycles	Staged combustion cycle Expander cycle Gas-generator cycle Tap-off cycle
Intake mechanisms	Pressure-fed engine Pump-fed engine Electric-pump-fed engine

Electrical propulsion

Electrostatic	Colloid thruster Ion thruster Gridded Hall-effect thruster Field-emission electric propulsion
Electromagnetic	Pulsed inductive thruster Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster Electrodeless plasma thruster Plasma magnet
Electrothermal	Pulsed plasma thruster Vacuum arc thruster Helicon double-layer thruster Arcjet rocket Resistojet rocket Microwave electrothermal thruster VASIMR
Other	Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion High Power Electric Propulsion MagBeam Mass driver

Nuclear propulsion

Closed system	Direct Fusion Drive Nuclear electric rocket Nuclear thermal rocket Radioisotope Salt-water Gas core "Lightbulb" Nuclear photonic rocket
Open system	Nuclear pulse propulsion Antimatter-catalyzed Pulsed nuclear thermal rocket‎ Fusion rocket Bussard ramjet Fission-fragment rocket Fission sail