Russian cosmonauts have for the first time tested a new generation pulsed plasma injector directly in open space. The experiment, conducted outside the International Space Station, could change the future of small satellites and space communication systems.
During a spacewalk on October 28, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Zubritsky and Sergei Ryzhikov installed the IPI-500 equipment complex, created at the Moscow Aviation Institute, on the external surface of the Nauka module. Alexander Bogaty, Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Applied Mechanics and Electrodynamics of MAI, told TASS that the injector tests are crucial for the development of domestic propulsion systems.
According to the scientist, the plasma injector is a prototype of an ablation pulsed plasma engine. It is capable of creating short bursts of plasma — ionized gas, which can be used to correct satellite orbits or control microsatellites. Specialists are now checking how the device works in space conditions and whether it interferes with other onboard electronics.
The tests are being carried out as part of the second stage of the Impulse experiment. Scientists intend to study the effect of plasma emissions on the Earth's ionosphere and the behavior of electric fields near spacecraft. This data will help develop new communication technologies and protection against electrification of satellite bodies, which can disable their systems and even threaten the safety of the crew.
The IPI-500 complex consists of two main blocks: the plasma injector itself and a module for monitoring electrophysical parameters, created by NPO IT. The device will emit plasma pulses into the upper atmosphere and record all changes occurring in the surrounding space.