Performance Measurement and Propellant Testing for the STEP-1 CubeSat Elecrospray Thrusters

Abstract

Electrosprays are a promising technology for highly effective propulsion for CubeSats and other small satellites. In this work we present the design, initial operations, and performance measurements of the latest generation of ion Electrospray Propulsion System (iEPS). Choosing the best ionic liquid propellant is discussed, where we note that the common EMI-BF4 tends to absorb large amounts of water from the atmosphere. We suggest instead to use EMI-CF3BF3, which hardly absorbs water and performs as well or better than EMI-BF4 in our results. The thrusters tested here produce around 12 micronewtons of thrust at a specific impulse of around 600 seconds, while only consuming 120 milliwatts of power.