A new stage in the development of ablative pulsed plasma thrusters at the RIAME

This paper presents an overview of the works on ablative pulsed plasma thrusters (APPTs) carried out at the Research Institute of Applied Mechanics and Electrodynamics (RIAME). The main features of next generation thrusters developed at the RIAME in the 2000s are discussed together with the optimization criteria for APPTs intended for use in correction propulsion systems of small spacecraft, e.g., MKA-FKI (developed by the Lavochkin Association) and Soyuz-Sat-O (developed by Maksimov Space Systems Research Institute and the Production Corporation Polyot).