The A.V. Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus offers Electric-discharge traction elements with controlled spatial orientation of the thrust vector for plasma thrusters for space applications under a manufacturing agreement and/or subcontracting and islooking for partners to conclude a distribution strvices agreement.

The development of small spacecraft for deploying multi-satellite orbital constellations requires the development of specialized plasma thrusters with compact dimensions and thrust characteristics sufficient to ensure effective maneuvering of the spacecraft in a given orbit.
Small plasma thrusters for spacecraft are used for orbital correction, attitude control, and maneuvering on satellites and other spacecraft. These thrusters are highly efficient and cost-effective, making them in demand in the space industry. The leading global manufacturers of such thrusters are listed below.

The leading global manufacturers of small plasma thrusters:
1. Aerojet Rocketdyne (USA)
- Features: Aerojet Rocketdyne develops and manufactures electric propulsion systems, including ion and Hall effect thrusters, for small spacecraft.
2. Safran (France)
- Key features: Safran produces Hall thrusters for satellites and other spacecraft, which are distinguished by their high reliability and efficiency.
3. Thales Alenia Space (France/Italy)
- Key features: The company offers electric propulsion systems, including Hall thrusters, for satellites and space platforms.
4. OKB Fakel (Russia)
- Key features: OKB Fakel is a leading manufacturer of Hall thrusters used on Russian and foreign spacecraft.
5. ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) (India)
- Key features: ISRO develops electric propulsion systems, including plasma thrusters, for its space missions.

At the A.V. Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer has developed and manufactured a unique quasi-stationary electric-discharge traction element based on an end-face erosion plasma accelerator with a sectioned external electrode for a space-based plasma microthruster. This element enables control of the thrust vector's spatial orientation by establishing a predetermined configuration of electromagnetic fields generated by self-consistently distributed currents in the electric-discharge system. This element is characterized by the absence of moving mechanical components and external magnetic systems.
The energy storage device for the developed traction element is a sectioned capacitor bank with a total capacity of 240 μF. The initial battery voltage can vary from 1.5 to 3.0 kV, corresponding to an energy storage capacity of 270 to 1080 J. Discharging such a capacitor bank into the discharge device of a traction element, which is 5 cm long and has a 2.5 cm diameter outer sectioned electrode, provides a current amplitude of 15 to 28 kA and a maximum discharge voltage on the traction element of 450 to 750 V, with a total discharge duration of ~100 μs. Under these conditions, a compression flow is formed at the end of the accelerator, with a plasma outflow velocity of 15–20 km/s. The controlled deviation of the thrust plasma flow from the system axis is 3–12°, the average thrust FT
per pulse (~100 μs) reaches 65 N, and the specific impulse Iimp is 18×103 m/s, significantly exceeding the thrust characteristics of other plasma thrusters with comparable stored energy.

The developed thrust element with a controlled thrust vector can serve as the basis for the creation of plasma propulsion systems for small spacecraft.

The information is published in the Catalog "Advanced Developments of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus" 2024, pp. 60-61.(in Russian)

The developed and manufactured electric-discharge thruster, which provides thrust vector control without the use of moving mechanical components or external magnetic systems, is unparalleled and sets a global benchmark for the development of this class of plasma thrusters for space applications. Currently, spacecraft maneuvering in orbit is accomplished using multiple plasma thrusters. The use of a thruster with a controlled thrust vector will improve the reliability of the propulsion system and significantly reduce its weight and dimensions.

The A.V. Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer completed a research project titled "Develop a technology for creating an electric-discharge traction element and controlling its thrust vector for a quasi-stationary small-sized plasma thruster." The results were used in the development of the electric-discharge traction element.

The A.V. Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the country's largest scientific institution, focusing on fundamental and applied problems of heat and mass transfer, fluid dynamics, energy, thermal engineering, chemical physics, combustion and explosion physics, and nanotechnology. It also develops energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies and equipment, as well as apparatus and instruments for power engineering and mechanical engineering, the agro-industrial complex and construction industries, medicine, the chemical, electronics, radio engineering, food, and space industries.

Main areas of scientific and technical activity:
- heat and mass transfer processes in capillary-porous bodies, dispersed systems, rheological and turbulent media, nonequilibrium flows, low-temperature plasma, and radiation-matter interactions;
- dynamics, transport, and elementary processes in systems with chemical and phase transformations;
- Physical kinetics, heat transfer, and transport processes at the micro- and nanoscale;
- Energy-efficient heat and mass transfer technologies, equipment, and apparatus;
- Transport processes, heat transfer in biological systems and complex molecules;
- Physical and structural properties of substances, materials, and surfaces under internal structuring and extreme conditions;
- Mechanics of fluids, gases, and plasma;
- Mechanics and rheology of viscoelastic media under shear, temperature, and electromagnetic influences;
- Numerical methods and software packages for the numerical modeling of physicochemical and heat transfer processes;
- Catalytic technologies and equipment for producing hydrogen, synthesis, endo-, and exo-gases, synthetic and composite fuels;
- Technologies and equipment for producing nano- and microstructures and materials;
- Plasma, plasma-chemical, and chemical methods of waste purification and disposal.

The Institute organizes:
Minsk International Forum on Heat and Mass Transfer;
International Conference "Heat Pipes, Heat Pumps, Refrigerators, and New Energy Sources";
International Conference "Methodological Aspects of Scanning Probe Microscopy";
Minsk International Colloquium on the Physics of Shock Waves, Combustion, and Detonation;

The Institute hosts the editorial board of the Engineering Physics Journal, which is republished in English by Springer.

The Institute maintains scientific, scientific-organizational, and scientific-industrial cooperation with academic and industry research institutes, universities, design bureaus, associations, and enterprises in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Latvia, China, the USA, India, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Brazil, Italy, France, and other countries.

Official website of the A.V. Lykov Institute of Heat and Mass Transfer.

Customers interested in purchasing Electric Discharge Propulsion Elements with Controlled Spatial Orientation of the Thrust Vector for space plasma thrusters under a manufacturing agreement and/or subcontracting.

Partners interested in purchasing Electric Discharge Propulsion Elements with Controlled Spatial Orientation of the Thrust Vector for space plasma thrusters under a distribution services agreement.