Characterization of the TILE Electrospray Emitters

Abstract

Accion Systems' TILE electrospray thrusters, a microfabricated propulsion system for small satellites, has been characterized at the MIT Space Propulsion Laboratory. A suite of diagnostic instruments including a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and a retarding potential analyzer are used to estimate the thrust, specific impulse, and efficiency of an individual emitter chip from measured beam properties of two test articles. These results are combined and analyzed to predict overall performance for the thruster chip device at several operating points