Project description
Hall-effect thruster technology becomes more mature
Hall-effect thruster is a type of ion thruster in which the propellant is accelerated by an electric field. It operates on a variety of propellants, the most common being xenon and krypton. Despite having attracted significant theoretical and experimental research since 1960, the technology has not reached a qualified status mostly due to the high system costs and the lack of test facilities. The EU-funded ASPIRE project aims to increase the technology readiness level of a 20-kW hall-effect thruster system to 6. Project work will build on the successful outcomes from another EU project called CHEOPS which is developing three different Hall-effect thruster electric propulsion systems to serve different orbits.
Objective
The recent developments in high-power Hall thruster systems, thanks to the optimal combination of performance and reliability, are enabling a wide set of mission scenarios. These technological advantages, coupled with the increasing availability of power onboard satellite platforms, are encouraging several spacecraft manufacturers to focus on the implementation of high-power Hall thruster systems.
The most promising scenarios envisage the introduction of a new class of service platforms characterized by versatility and a high level of reusability, the so-called Space Tug. Other applications, nowadays of particular interest, are the active debris removal to mitigate the possible collision risks. Besides, several exploration and scientific missions, such as Mars Sample Return, contemplate high power electric propulsion as the main propulsion system.
Despite these potential advantages, several factors have limited the possibility of reaching qualified status for these systems, such as huge costs and availability of test facility.
ASPIRE aims to increase the TRL of 20kW Hall Thruster system up to 6 by exploiting results obtained within CHEOPS. The project will cover many aspects, from mission scenarios analysis and satellite architecture consolidation to thruster unit TRL raise to 7 and enabling reduced-cost qualification. To keep operational and development costs as low as possible, krypton is maintained as baseline propellant.
The ASPIRE project also aims at augmenting the numerical modelling capability necessary for qualification of high-power EP systems, which lacks in Europe. The numerical models, developed and refined by three academic partners in the frame of this project, will be validated with the data gathered in more than 1000 hours of firing with Kr. Artificial intelligence is used to develop a novel simulation-aided qualification strategy, representing an exclusive European asset for the foreseen qualification and flight in the 2020-2030 decade.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry noble gases
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy space exploration
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering astronautical engineering spacecraft
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering satellite technology
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.2.1.6. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Space
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.2.1.6.2. - Enabling advances in space technology
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
IA - Innovation action
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-SPACE-2018-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
70042 Mola Di Bari
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.