US2023068871A1PendingUtilityA1

Spacecraft Propulsion Devices and Systems with Microwave Excitation

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Assignee: MOMENTUS SPACE LLCPriority: Mar 12, 2019Filed: Nov 4, 2022Published: Mar 2, 2023
Est. expiryMar 12, 2039(~12.6 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Jason Samuel HummeltJoel C. SercelPhilip MainwaringJames G. SmallMatthew Parman
B64G 1/417B64G 1/411B64G 1/428B64G 1/26B64G 1/36F03H 1/0093B64G 1/366H01J 37/32247B64G 1/44B64G 1/409B64G 1/405
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Claims

Abstract

In a spacecraft for operating a thruster that includes a microwave source, a resonant cavity, and a source of propellant which the thruster converts to hot gas and directs via a nozzle to generate thrust, a method includes operating the thruster in an ignition mode in which the microwave source outputs power at a first rate, and operating the thruster in a propulsion mode in which the microwave source outputs power at a second rate higher than the first rate.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method in a spacecraft for operating a thruster that includes a microwave source, a resonant cavity, and a source of propellant which the thruster converts to hot gas and directs via a nozzle to generate thrust, the method comprising:
 operating the thruster in an ignition mode in which the microwave source outputs power at a first rate; and   operating the thruster in a propulsion mode in which the microwave source outputs power at a second rate higher than the first rate.

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