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The study aims to evaluate different propellant options for RF ICP thrusters focusing on performance and design implications.

January 18, 2026Journal of Applied PhysicsOpen Access

Investigation of propellants for electrothermal propulsion systems: Application to radio-frequency inductively coupled plasma thrusters

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This work investigates propellant options for RF ICP thrusters, revealing implications for performance and design.

The study aims to evaluate different propellant options for RF ICP thrusters focusing on performance and design implications.
Analyzed various propellant options for RF ICP thrusters.
Considered factors like propulsive performance, mission suitability, and storage requirements.
Examined high-temperature effects such as propellant dissociation and flow losses.
Low mass propellants like hydrogen have high specific impulse but low total impulse mass density.
Liquid propellants such as water and ammonia offer higher storage densities and acceptable performance.
Thermal dissociation further enhances the effectiveness of chosen propellants.

Martínez et al. (2026) studied this question.

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