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EU funding (€1,999,999): Air-breathing Electric THrustER Hor7 Nov 2019 EU Research and Innovation programme "Horizon"
Overview
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Air-breathing Electric THrustER
The limiting factor for the duration of space endeavours is often related to the total mass of propellant available on board. If a new propulsion device was capable of using the upper layers of the atmosphere as propellant, this would enable a vast spectrum of new planetary mission scenarios. In recent years SITAEL has produced the world’s first example of such a device, the “RAM-EP” engine. This innovative electric propulsion (EP) thruster was successfully tested in an environment representative of VLEO, achieving TRL4. The AETHER project will advance the thruster design towards a more flight representative stage, experimentally demonstrating sufficient and reliable net thrust production for the target applications. This will be achieved through the design optimization of the various thruster components, careful selection of materials and proper diagnostics tools, together with system-level design considerations. Successful completion of the AETHER project will advance the electric propulsion portfolio of Europe with the world-first EP air-breathing engine, potentially shifting the paradigm of VLEO, LEO and planetary missions.
Funded Companies:
| Company name | Funding amount |
| Astos Solutions GmbH | €66,000 |
| Data Evaluation AND Diagnostics Algorithmas OF Systems ΕΠΕ | €40,000 |
| RHP Technology GmbH | €80,000 |
| Sitael S.p.A. | €879,063 |
| TRANSMIT GESELLSCHAFT FUR TECHNOLOGIETRANSFERT mbH | €400,000 |
| University of Surrey | €134,936 |
| VON Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics | €400,000 |
Source: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/870436
The filing refers to a past date, and does not necessarily reflect the current state.
