Tina Caruso

Magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters represent a promising Electric Propulsion technology for future space missions; however, their optimization is hampered by the lack of accurate performance models in the emerging regime of low power (0.1 T), where traditional formulations prove inadequate. In this work, a new semi-empirical model for predicting the thrust and discharge voltage of argon-fed MPD thrusters was developed and validated. Starting from state-of-the-art physical models, multi-factorial correction factors were introduced to account for the coupled effects of discharge current (8–180 A), mass flow rate (3–21 mg/s), and applied magnetic field (up to 0.6 T). The model was calibrated and validated using a comprehensive and homogeneous collection of experimental data from the literature. A comparative analysis demonstrates that the corrected model significantly reduces prediction errors (0–9%) compared to reference models available in the literature (8–50%). In particular, the model exhibits remarkably superior accuracy in both the Self-Field and Applied-Field regimes, overcoming the main limitations of previous formulations and providing more robust estimates across a wide operational envelope. The developed model constitutes a reliable and physically consistent tool for the analysis and preliminary design of low-power, argon-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters, enabling more effective optimization for this class of propulsion systems.