MicroThrust, EPFL scientists and their European partners are making reaching the Moon using just a tenth of a liter of fuel a reality and ushering in A NEW ERA OF LOW-COST SPACE EXPLORATION, in addition to groundbreaking work on space debris.
The complete thruster weighs just a few hundred grams and is specifically designed to propel SMALL (1-100 KG) SATELLITES, which it enables to change orbit around the Earth and even voyage to more distant destinations - functions typically possible only for large, expensive spacecraft.
The just-released prototype is expected to employed on CleanSpace One, a satellite under development at EPFL that is designed to clean up space debris, and on OLFAR, a swarm of Dutch nanosatellites that will record ultra-low radio-frequency signals on the far side of the Moon.
Swiss Space Center at EPFL just launched the "CLEANSPACE ONE" PROJECT. The aim is to design and build a satellite that will chase, grab and destroy a space debris - namely one of the first Swiss satellites, Swisscube-1 or TIsat-1.
SMALL SATELLITES are ALL THE RAGE RIGHT NOW because their manufacturing and launch costs are relatively low - about half a million dollars, compared to conventional satellites that run into the hundreds of millions. But NANOSATELLITES currently lack an efficient propulsion system that would render them truly autonomous and thus able to carry out exploration or observation missions. Work is also underway on a dedicated NANOSAT LAUNCHER.
Origin: aquarius-project.blogspot.com
