Project description
Microthrusters can give small satellites a lift
Every bit of weight counts on a small satellite. This has traditionally meant forgoing niceties such as onboard propulsion. The EU-funded ATHENA-Pi project wants to change that by creating new electrospray thrusters for tiny satellites. The thrusters can be employed by nanosatellites, microsatellites and picosatellites, and are based on technology that uses electricity to direct a liquid propellant. The onboard system will allow for custom orbits, collision avoidance and controlled re-entry to avoid space debris. Made by Spanish company ienai SPACE, the first ATHENA-π module for picosatellites is being prepared for commercialisation.
Objective
Small satellite manufacturers, integrators, and their clients have proven reluctant to incorporate on-board propulsion since it comes in conflict with the already stringent payload requirements. These power/volume/mass constraints have limited historical adoption to under 7% and 1% in the nano- and pico-satellite classes.
In response to the perceived market need, ienai SPACE is developing ATHENA (Adaptable Thruster based on Electrospray for Nano-/micro-/pico-satellites) an innovative electric thruster for on-board propulsion based on electrospray technology, which represents a step change in comparison to the current state-of-the-art Electric Propulsion (EP) devices; our first product is the ATHENA-π, a pico-satellite version which is currently in development and is expected to begin commercialization in 2022
Adding on-board propulsion systems will allow for custom operational orbits, cost-effective deployment of satellite constellations and increased mission lifetime in Low Earth Orbit. In addition, these systems would allow for collision avoidance and controlled deorbiting maneuvers, mitigating the growing space debris issue.
The overall work plan is focused on the activities which will take ATHENA-π from a flight qualification campaign, to take place in January of 2022 (with a backup for March of 2022) to commercial success, including the initial scale-up industrialization efforts and supporting financial structure.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology mechanical engineering vehicle engineering aerospace engineering satellite technology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.2 - European innovation ecosystems
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIE-2021-SCALEUP-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28919 Leganes
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.