The EPIC Workshop 2022 was held at the DLR site in Cologne-Porz, Germany, at the Casino, from 04 to 08 April 2022. The event was also held online. More than 300 professionals attended the hybrid event, including the project GIESEPP MP consortium partners: Cyril Dietz and Pilar Valles (ArianeGroup), Javier Torres (Airbus Crisa), and Kristof Holste (Justus-Liebig University of Giessen).
About the EPIC Workshop
The event comprised 66 presentations in total, on top of 7 startup pitches and 4 panel discussions. It was the first hybrid event ever held by the DLR, and it was a major success, demonstrating that this new form of event can be successfully implemented in the future, allowing high-profile specialists to attend and participate in workshops even if they cannot attend in person. In addition to livestream events, it was also possible for high-profile individuals to attend panels and even moderate them. While in-person attendance was preferred, remote participation did not impact the quality of the content and event. Furthermore, DLR also introduced Startup Day. The feedback on this was positive as established players in the industry gained new insights through exposure to innovative ideas from the newest players in the industry.
The GIESEPP MP team at the EPIC workshop
This workshop provided the project GIESEPP MP partners with comprehensive information on the latest technologies that European companies are working on in the field of electric propulsion. This experience was even more enriching for professionals as this was one of the first events where consortium partners from different companies could actually meet in person after the long period of remote working due to Covid-19 restrictions. The event was also a great opportunity for them to discuss the project’s advancements and steps towards the next milestone.
Other engaging topics that caught our team’s attention were related to technological advancements, the current state of the art of (mega-)constellations and strong commercial solutions. New concepts such as air-breathing ion engines in very low Earth orbits as well as a presentation about the MSR-ERO programme given by representatives of ESA were very interesting and motivating.
Project GIESEPP MP consortium partners at the EPIC workshop 2022
Kristof Holste, Justus Liebig University Giessen
One aspect of the workshop that drew my attention was discussions between various actors from German universities and research institutions about a joint collaborative project. The main objective of such a project would be to deal with the standardisation of some important measurement variables in the field of ion engines, in particular, to create national standards as a reference for measurements on the ion beam. Projects like GIESEPP-MP as well as many others would definitely benefit from such standardisation efforts.
Incremental Line – EPIC Project GIESEPP-MP by Pilar Valles, ArianeGroup
This EPIC workshop allowed us to get an overview of the industry and agency activities in the EP field. We were able to present our current work on the standardised platform for 5kW systems.
Airbus DS PPUs’ new developments for HET, GIT and technology status by Javier Torres, Airbus Crisa
The EPIC workshop was a great opportunity for Airbus Crisa to show our latest power processor unit (PPU) developments to a larger public, consisting mainly of experts in the field of electric space propulsion. The Horizon 2020 project GIESEPP MP, in which our team is involved, is also a key part of this product’s roadmap. We had the opportunity to present our units first-hand to a network of potential clients and European key players in electrical propulsion. The participants of the event were interested in the current qualification status of our newest products, time to market and our experience and capability to respond to some of the new propulsion technologies that companies are developing.
