Pulsed Plasma Thruster Impulse Bit Calculator

CubeSat & SmallSat Micro-Propulsion: Calculate capacitor bank discharge energy ($E_0$), impulse bit ($I_{bit}$), specific impulse ($I_{sp}$), and average thrust.

Capacitive Discharge Parameters

Discharge Capacitance $C$ (µF):

Charging Voltage $V_0$ (kV):

Pulse Repetition Rate $f$ (Hz):

Ablation Mass Bit $m_{bit}$ (µg/shot):

Electrode Inductance & Efficiency

Inductance Gradient $L'$ (µH/m):

Circuit Ringing Ratio $\psi$:

Impulse & Power Performance

Impulse Bit ($I_{bit}$)

-- µN·s

Average Thrust: -- µN

Specific Impulse ($I_{sp}$)

-- s

Effective $c_{eff}$: -- km/s

Stored Energy / Pulse ($E_0$)

-- J

Bus Power @ Rep Rate: -- W

Pulse Energy Efficiency ($\eta$)

-- %

Coupling: -- µN·s/J

CubeSat Attitude Insights:

• Solid Teflon (PTFE) propellant eliminates high-pressure tanks, feed valves, and leakage risks.

• Micro-impulse bits ($10$–$150$ µN·s) enable sub-arcsecond attitude pointing and precision station keeping.

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Pulsed Plasma Thruster Impulse Bit Calculator

Capacitive Discharge Parameters

Electrode Inductance & Efficiency

Impulse & Power Performance

Frequently Asked Questions