Abstract: The present invention is a multipurpose microprocessor card for use as the central processing unit for the Command and Data Handling of spacecraft (C&DH), instrument and payload (IC&DH), as well as any custom instrument controller. The processor card utilizes a state-of-the-art, radiation hardened processor (e.g., Aeroflex Gaisler GR70 Quad-Core LEON4 SPARC V8 250 Mhz processor) and supports SpaceWire, technical standard balanced voltage digital interface circuit (e.g., RS-422), and MIL-1553B protocols to communicate with other critical cards and instruments throughout the spacecraft bus. The present invention takes advantage of the fast communication between the processor and a space-qualified radiation-hardened field-programmable gate array (FPGA), to involve high-speed peripherals controlled by the FPGA and accessible by the processor.

Abstract: A vacuum arc thruster (VAT) for a propulsion system of a micro-satellite is provided. The VAT includes an anode, a cathode including a fuel, and an insulator between the anode and the cathode. The VAT is operable to create an arc between the anode and the cathode and discharge plasma through the diverging nozzle as thrust. The anode may define a diverging nozzle. The VAT may further include a Halbach array including a plurality of permanent magnets arranged in a ring, each of the permanent magnets of the ring having a radially inward positioned north pole and a radially outward positioned south pole.