Air propulsion system using air instead of fuel.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched an air-powered propulsion system after more than a decade of research.
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The new propulsion system could allow the satellite to operate for many years in low Earth orbit. (Image: [Image caption])ESA. |
ESA's new rocket propulsion system can capture, compress, charge, and then release gas molecules electrically, without requiring the use of chemical fuel.Science AlertToday's news report: All that's needed is a little electricity, a power source that can always be produced using the sun.
According to ground-based tests conducted by a research team at ESA, this engine could provide thrust for a range of new satellites operating for years in orbits around planets like Earth and Mars. "The results indicate that air-powered electric propulsion is no longer a hypothesis but a viable idea ready for development and one day operational in new missions," said Louis Walpot, one of the ESA scientists.
ESA has been trying to develop new engines for over a century. ESA's GOCE gravity probe operated for over five years using a similar propulsion system, although it still relied on 40 kg of xenon propellant.
Even in the vacuum of space, where there are no gas molecules, it is possible to collect enough gas molecules in low orbit to provide periodic thrust for satellites. Regions at the edge of the atmosphere often slow down satellites orbiting the Earth and cause them to fall back to Earth, which is why additional thrust is needed.
The key to building a new propulsion system is finding a way to collect and compress scarce gas molecules instead of propelling them away. Charging and ionization play a crucial role here, providing the necessary acceleration.
The research team built an experimental vacuum chamber in Italy, simulating the environment at an altitude of 200 km and a satellite speed of 7.8 km/s. There were no valves or complex components; all they needed was a power source to charge the gas molecules, accelerating them and propelling them outwards. A two-stage system was designed for more efficient charging.
The rocket propulsion system has been tested with xenon, nitrogen-oxygen mixtures, and then solely on atmospheric gas molecules. The research team still has much work to do before the system can be ready for deployment on satellites, but this is compelling evidence of its feasibility.
