Patent ID: 7926258

Claim:
A pulsed plasma thruster comprising: a plasma generating section including a centrally located electrode, the plasma generating section having a coaxial geometry and the centrally located electrode having a radius defined thereby; an exhaust section having a cavity wall and a minimum annular electrode radius, the cavity wall being substantially electrically conducting to form an annular electrode, the minimum annular electrode radius of the annular electrode having a radius defined thereby; a propellant material that forms an ionized gas as a result of being heated; an electric power supply unit connected to both the centrally located electrode and the annular electrode to generate an electric arc having a current path across a surface portion of the propellant, such that the propellant material being heated by the electric arc produces the ionized gas, which is expelled from the thruster at high velocity to produce thrust; and wherein a ratio defined between the minimum radius of the annular electrode and the radius of the centrally located electrode is at least 3.0 to provide thrust with an electromagnetic thrust component that is greater than the electrothermal thrust component.