ENGINE AT OUTBOARD AIR WITH A HELICON PLASMA SOURCE FOR SUPPORTING SMALL SPACECRAFTS IN LOW EARTH ORBIT Russian patent published in 2019 - IPC F03H1/00 

FIELD: astronautics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to space engineering, in particular to electric rocket engines, in particular, to electric rocket engines (ERE) with a helicon plasma source, which uses a outboard atmosphere as a working medium, intended mainly for installation on small aircrafts. Engine on the outboard air with a helicon plasma source comprises a thermal stabilizing channel and a receiver in the motor path, as well as a load matching device and a HF generator on the antenna and HF generator electric communication line. Presence of thermo-stabilizing channel in engine path allows to slow down the particles of outboard atmosphere collected by the device for collection of outboard air, which leads to increase in the number of particles ionized in the channel, and, consequently, to increase in thrust and specific impulse. Receiver accumulates particles of collected outboard atmosphere and allows uniform supply of said particles into gas-discharge chamber.

EFFECT: device for matching load and HF-generator allows minimizing losses of high-frequency power on line of electric communication antenna – high-frequency generator.

4 cl, 1 dwg, 2 tbl