About the project
This project offers a unique opportunity to develop a high precision time-resolved thrust balance and optical diagnostics to characterise the spatial distribution of plasma plume generated by a plasma thruster.
Your research will contribute developing a novel plasma thruster, called ALPS (ALl-printed Propulsion System) by:
- Characterising plasma plumes and their interactions: You will provide a comprehensive set of time-resolved plasma parameters in plasma plume generated by ALPS, and you will investigate how a magnetic nozzle can affect the plume expansion.
- Measuring thrust under wide operating conditions: High-resolution thrust stand using magnetic levitation will be designed to provide direct thrust measurements with temporal resolution. Using the developed thrust stand, you will investigate the effect of energy input on the ALPS performance and develop an electromagnetic acceleration mechanism on the ALPS.
The ALPS is a standalone electric propulsion system that is designed to shorten a spacecraft’s orbital lifetime at the end of the mission (EoM) and enable controlled re-entry and safe recovery of 1 - 3U CubeSats. In principle, the ALPS is a cluster of thin layer vacuum arc thrusters, called “Pixel”. Compared to current propulsion systems, the ALPS provides a unique solution in the propulsion system for 1-3U CubeSat and a DiskSat.
You will push the boundaries of micro propulsion technology by developing novel thrust measurement and plume diagnostics technique. This project is also part of the UK Space Agency's National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), offering you the opportunity to contribute to real-world thruster development.
You will gain invaluable experience in plasma and space propulsion research and be part of a team poised to revolutionise future space propulsion technologies.
