UAH Electric Propulsion Club seeks patent for experimental ion thruster

Written by Copernical Team Saturday, 04 January 2025 08:54

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Huntsville AL (SPX) Jan 06, 2025

The Electric Propulsion Club (EPC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), recently traveled to Milan, Italy, to present STARGATE, an experimental gridded ion thruster developed by the group, at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). The group's STARGATE team consists entirely of UAH undergraduates and is an independent student research organization working in the fields

UAH Electric Propulsion Club seeks patent for experimental ion thruster
by Russ Nelson for UAH News
Huntsville AL (SPX) Jan 06, 2025

The Electric Propulsion Club (EPC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), recently traveled to Milan, Italy, to present STARGATE, an experimental gridded ion thruster developed by the group, at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). The group's STARGATE team consists entirely of UAH undergraduates and is an independent student research organization working in the fields of electric propulsion (EP) and plasma physics at UAH, a part of The University of Alabama System.

In recent years, the proliferation of small satellites in Earth orbit has led to an unprecedented demand for small-scale low-power electric propulsion for satellite systems. EP systems offer a wide range of capabilities otherwise difficult or impossible in conventional spacecraft systems, including advances such as autonomous station keeping, collision avoidance, rendezvous, attitude control, orbit modification and forced deorbiting.

The event in Italy boasted over 11,000 attendees representing over 120 countries, as well as the heads of 60 national space agencies across the world, including the Administrator and deputy Administrator of NASA, and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs. UAH EPC members making the trip included Claude Blue, a junior in aerospace engineering, research lead and president of the group; Noa Milivojevic, a junior of aerospace engineering and chief mechanical engineer; Dmitri Tsahelnik, a sophomore of aerospace engineering and physics; and Ella Hazle, a sophomore of aerospace engineering.

The STARGATE system is a proprietary technology invented and developed by the UAH EPC as an alternative method of plasma production in a gridded ion thruster for the application of small satellite propulsion in low Earth and geostationary orbits.

Crafting the future of space travel

"We are developing a new type of gridded ion thruster for small satellite propulsion applications that utilizes the corona discharge reaction for plasma production instead of the conventional hollow discharge cathode or radio frequency technology," Blue explains. "This technology is in the process of being patented with the UAH Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC)."

An ion thruster is a form of electric propulsion for spacecraft that creates a cloud of positive ions from a neutral gas by ionizing it to extract electrons from its atoms, which are then accelerated using electricity to create thrust. A gridded ion thruster employs high-voltage grid electrodes, a type of electrical conductor, to accelerate the ions with slow-moving or stationary electric charges, or electrostatic forces. A corona discharge occurs when a direct or alternating current is created between two electrodes, separated by a neutral fluid, like air. By ionization of this 'fluid,' a plasma is created, and the electric charges propagate by passing from the ions to the molecules of neutral gases.

"The IAC was also a wonderful networking opportunity," Blue notes. "We made a lot of new connections and potential partnerships interested in supporting the development of our technology."

The team's faculty advisor is Dr.Themistoklis Chronis, a clinical assistant professor of physics and astronomy. The opportunity came about after the group won the 2023 Von Braun Symposium Student Poster Contest, leading to the American Astronautical Society sponsoring Blue for the journey to Italy as lead author of the effort. Additional support enabled the entire club to make the trip.

"Our other project and club supporters and sponsors include Debora Nielson, associate director of the Alabama Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) and her team at the ASGC; Dr. James Miller, chair of the UAH physics department; Dr. Rainer Steinwandt, dean of the UAH College of Science; Dr. Robert Lindquist, vice president for research and economic development at UAH; Kannan Grant, director of the UAH Office of Technology Communication, as well as Dr. Jason Cassibry and Dr. Gabriel Xu, professors of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Jon Buckley, a prototype development specialist in the mechanical and aerospace department," Blue says.

"It's very inspiring to see everyone coming together and building the future together. We learned a lot about where the industry is headed, the current state of the space industry and space economy and the priorities of the astronautical community. We got to see the debut of a lot of new technology, including VAST space's HAVEN 2 concept, and the AXIOM PRADA space suit, and we saw a lot of technology and resources we didn't previously know existed that we will adapt and utilize for the future phases of our project."

Stargate: An Undergraduate Experimental Electric Propulsion Research Research Report:Project