Transient phenomena induced by discharge on solar array in low Earth orbit plasma environment

A laboratory experiment is carried out to investigate the plasma response to the discharge on solar array in simulated Low Earth Orbit plasma environment. Once a discharge occurs, the discharge point and remotely located insulator surface is connected by a dense plasma. Electrons ejected from the solar array at the discharge onset are attracted by the positive sheath formed near the insulator surface whose potential jumps to a highly positive value at the same time. The charge stored on the insulator surface is provided as the discharge current. The measurement by a moving probe revealed that there is electric field between the discharged array and the insulator.