Reactive plasma system for on-orbit cleaning of spacecraft thermal radiators

Summary form only given. We have developed a reactive plasma system intended for flight application that removes radiator contaminant films, maintaining thermal performance at or near pristine levels. The helicon plasma source operates on water vapor and uses only 1 W of electrical power. It is intended to be mounted on the solar-wing drive so that the diurnal motion of the wing causes the plasma plume to sweep over nearly the entire radiator surface.