The GIESEPP MP consortium continues the developments of the previously funded project GIESEPP (Gridded Ion Engine Standardised Electric Propulsion Platform). The restructured consortium will demonstrate and pre-qualify a prototype-like system in a relevant environment.
The goal of the consortium is to deliver a tested and validated product that customers can buy off the shelf but at the same time can easily be adapted to individual needs.
Project duration
48 months
Project start date
January 1, 2021
Project consortium
6 organisations
Fuel Efficiency
Electric propulsion offers major improvements in fuel efficiency, enabling dramatic weight and volume savings which leads to significantly lower launch costs.
Higher Revenues for Operators
Due to the increase in payload that electric propulsion facilitates by its gain in weight and volume.
State-of-the-art
European gridded ion engine will give Europe the ability to not only compete but also take a lead in this growing worldwide market.
Highest Efficiency
Where HET is ceiling at an ISP of about 1800s a GIE can easily be brought to specific impulses above 3000s and higher and have thus the highest efficiency in the medium power range.
Lowest Plume Divergence
Enabling both the outstanding efficiency of the propulsion system while reducing thruster-platform-interactions to a minimum a GIE´s plume divergence can attain less than 10°.
Capable and Adaptable Technology
By its very definition GIE allows a clear technical separation between ionisation on one hand and ion acceleration / thrust generation on the other. This not only helps to master the technology but also eases individual adaptation to customer specific operating requirements.
1st step – Ionisation
Ion thrusters employ a variety of plasma generation techniques to ionize a large fraction of the propellant, e.g. with radio frequency.
2nd step – Thrust Generation
The ionized fraction of the propellant is accelerated in an electrostatic field of the grid system and extracted out of the thruster to create thrust.
3rd step - Neutralization
To avoid any electrostatic effects, the extracted positive ions are submitted to a parallel flow of (negative) electrons so a neutralisation is attained almost immediately.
Functions
- 1. Extracting and accelerating grids: to accelerate positive ions
- 2. Sputter Shield: to protect from excessive sputtering
- 3. EMC Housing: to hold all inner parts of the thruster (e.g. ioniser) and protect against mechanical and electromechanical loads
- 4. Neutralizer Hollow cathode: to generate negative electrons
- 5. Neutralizer: to ensure the constant supply in electrons
