Skip to main content
European Commission logo
polski polski
CORDIS - Wyniki badań wspieranych przez UE
CORDIS
CORDIS Web 30th anniversary CORDIS Web 30th anniversary
Zawartość zarchiwizowana w dniu 2024-06-18

Electric sail propulsion technology

Cel

The Electric Solar Wind Sail (E-sail) is a recent invention of ultra-efficient propellantless in-space propulsion technology. It uses the solar wind charged ions as natural source for producing spacecraft thrust. The E-sail is composed of a set of long, thin, conducting and positively charged tethers which are centrifugally stretched from the main spacecraft and kept electrically charged by an onboard electron gun powered by solar panels.

The E-sail concept is an enabling technology for reducing significantly the time, cost and mass required for spacecraft to reach their destinations. It has been estimated that it has the potential to improve the state of the art of propulsion systems by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude if using the lifetime integrated total impulse versus propulsion system mass as the figure of merit. Furthermore, the E-sail propulsion technology is truly a green propellantless method reducing significantly the mission launch masses and the amount of chemical propellant burnt in the atmosphere. As an electromechanical device it does not need any poisonous, explosive or radioactive substances or dangerous construction procedures.

In the proposed project, we develop the key E-sail technologies (tethers, tether reels, spinup and guidance/control method based on gas and FEEP thrusters) to prototype level. The goal is that after the project, the decision to build and fly the first E-sail demonstration mission in the solar wind can be made. As a secondary technological goal, the project will raise the FEEP and gas thruster readiness level for general-purpose satellite attitude control purposes.

Zaproszenie do składania wniosków

FP7-SPACE-2010-1
Zobacz inne projekty w ramach tego zaproszenia

Koordynator

ILMATIETEEN LAITOS
Wkład UE
€ 374 148,40
Adres
Erik Palmenin aukio 1
00560 Helsinki
Finlandia

Zobacz na mapie

Region
Manner-Suomi Helsinki-Uusimaa Helsinki-Uusimaa
Rodzaj działalności
Research Organisations
Kontakt administracyjny
Pekka Janhunen (Dr.)
Linki
Koszt całkowity
Brak danych

Uczestnicy (8)