Development and Characterization of the Helicon Plasma Thruster Prototype HPT05M

This paper begins with a brief review of the HPT technology development within the fruitful join-venture between UC3M and SENER Aerospacial. Starting from the first experimental platform, rated at 1 kW, passing through different modifications of the initial breadboard, until the last design, scaled down to 450 W of nominal power, called the HPT05M prototype. The experimental methodology to assess the thrust capabilities of the HPT05M, based on the plasma plume inspection, is discussed and accompanied by the latest results, which show a promising thrust efficiency around the 10 %. Lastly, the main specifications for the new design, an engineering model of the former platform, called HPT03, are presented.