2021 Volume 26 Issue 2 Pages 59-64
Development and characterization of a pulse generator which enables active control of a laser-assisted pulsed plasma thruster were conducted. In addition, thrust performance of the thruster was measured. As results of operational tests of the pulse generator, it was confirmed that timings of a laser pulse and a discharge pulse were actively controlled with an arbitrary delays. Moreover, typical values of a peak discharge voltage and a period were 15 kV and 160 ns, respectively. In addition, it was shown that the measured impulse bits were proportional to charge energies to capacitors.