The launches of nano- or picosatellites reflect the fast growing demand for small satellites in recent years. These small and cheaper satellites - especially the so-called CubeSats - have revolutionized the space sector by democratizing access to space and making it accessible to a wide range of actors. The increasing importance of data for global communication, Earth observation, and climate research is particularly responsible for this development. Small satellites can operate in constellations to deliver extensive and continuous datasets that are essential for weather forecasting, disaster management, and monitoring environmental damage. However, this requires precise attitude control and positioning of the individual satellites in order to ensure optimal communication with each satellite or with the ground station. In view of the high demand for CubeSats, the demand for propulsion systems that ensure accurate control of such satellites while meeting the strict size and weight requirements has increased. These two main constraints pushed the development of the vacuum arc thruster (VAT), which is a suitable propulsion system for this application. So far, however, there have only been a few missions with a VAT on board, so the functionality has mostly been demonstrated under laboratory conditions. This work presents the development and operation of a VAT, which is one of several experiments as part of a small satellite mission in 2025Thus, in order to meet the operational, mechanical, thermal, and electrical requirements of the satellite platform, was developed that fulfilled all specifications and was successfully qualified. This was done in cooperation with the project management and the satellite provider. Furthermore, specific parameters of the VAT were measured and calculated to characterize the system. The resulting experiment consists of a central control unit, that is connected to four thrusters and is integrated into the satellite's overall operation sequence. The VATs are supplied by a self-controlled power supply unit, which meets given safety requirements and provides information about the state of each thruster. The evaluated parameters are in line with previously developed VATs. This mission, which will take the developed VAT experiment into space, offers the opportunity to test the thruster under real conditions and gather information about its operational behavior in orbit. Since there is little information on the operational performance in space due to the small number of satellite missions with a VAT on board, the SeRANIS mission can contribute significantly to gaining further insights into this propulsion system, which might improve the further development of the vacuum arc thruster.    «

The launches of nano- or picosatellites reflect the fast growing demand for small satellites in recent years. These small and cheaper satellites - especially the so-called CubeSats - have revolutionized the space sector by democratizing access to space and making it accessible to a wide range of actors. The increasing importance of data for global communication, Earth observation, and climate research is particularly responsible for this development. Small satellites can operate in constellation...    »