A Multi Pulse Flight Experiment of a Microwave Beaming Thruster

An experiment on a multi-pulsed microwave-beaming thruster was conducted using a high power millimeter-wave generator, gyrotron. Conical thruster models with various diameters and cone angles were tested. The momentum coupling coefficients Cm at the first and second pulses were separately estimated from the flight trajectory measurement. As a result, Cm was found decreased at latter pulses. The ratio Cm2/Cm1 was varied mainly depending on the pulse repetition rate. The allowable maximum repetition rate for the optimum thruster scale would be lower than 60Hz.