  Challenging space mission scenarios include those in low altitude orbits,
where the atmosphere creates significant drag to the S/C and forces their orbit
to an early decay. For drag compensation, propulsion systems are needed,
requiring propellant to be carried on-board. An atmosphere-breathing electric
propulsion system (ABEP) ingests the residual atmosphere particles through an
intake and uses them as propellant for an electric thruster. Theoretically
applicable to any planet with atmosphere, the system might allow to orbit for
unlimited time without carrying propellant. A new range of altitudes for
continuous operation would become accessible, enabling new scientific missions
while reducing costs. Preliminary studies have shown that the collectible
propellant flow for an ion thruster (in LEO) might not be enough, and that
electrode erosion due to aggressive gases, such as atomic oxygen, will limit
the thruster lifetime. In this paper an inductive plasma thruster (IPT) is
considered for the ABEP system. The starting point is a small scale inductively
heated plasma generator IPG6-S. These devices are electrodeless and have
already shown high electric-to-thermal coupling efficiencies using O2 and CO2.
The system analysis is integrated with IPG6-S tests to assess mean
mass-specific energies of the plasma plume and estimate exhaust velocities.
