Our Participation at IEPC 2024: Pioneering the Future of Electric Propulsion

A large delegation from our institute had the pleasure of attending the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference (IEPC 2024) held from June 23 to 28, 2024, in Toulouse, France. This prestigious event is a cornerstone for the spacecraft electric propulsion community, bringing together companies, startups, space agencies, engineers, researchers, academics, and PhD students. With over 700 attendees, IEPC 2024 offered

a rich and diverse technical program, covering a wide range of topics from thruster physics and development to testing, qualification, and operating experience.

We were honored to present and share our latest research and findings with esteemed colleagues from around the globe, including representatives from NASA, ESA, JAXA, and leading universities. Here are some highlights of the work we presented, showcasing our advanced diagnostic methodologies and innovative concepts for electric propulsion:

  • "Development of a Space-Approved Vacuum Arc Thruster" – Roman Forster [1]
  • "On the Influence of Measurement Setups on Gridded Ion Thruster Plume Potentials" – Ruslan Kozakov [2]
  • "Advanced Diagnostic Facility for Low-Density Plasma Characterization" – Pavel Smirnov [3]
  • "Numerical Framework for the Development of Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion for Earth and Mars Atmosphere" – Valentina Pessina [4]
  • "Determination of the Neutral Gas Density by VUV Absorption Measurements" – Ruslan Kozakov [5]
  • "New Methods for Computer Tomography-Based Ion Thruster Diagnostics and Simulation" – Jörn Krenzer [6]

 

This five-day conference was an invaluable opportunity to benchmark our state-of-the-art technologies, grow and be inspired by the electric propulsion community, expand our professional network, and reconnect with old friends. We invite you to reach out to us for further discussions and collaborations. Our research papers can be found in conference proceedings from the  IECP 2024 as well as in the Downloads in the News section.

IEPC 2024


Reference List:

[1] R. Forster, M. Szulc, and J. Schein, "Development of a space-approved vacuum arc thruster," presented at the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Pierre Baudis Convention Center, Toulouse, France, June 23-28, 2024, Paper IEPC-2024-286.

[2] M. Maigler, R. Kozakov, and J. Schein, "On the Influence of Measurement Setups on Gridded Ion Thruster Plume Potentials," presented at the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Toulouse, France, June 23-28, 2024, Paper IEPC-2024-1062.

[3] P. Smirnov, R. Kozakov, and J. Schein, "Advanced Diagnostic Facility for Low-Density Plasma Characterization," presented at the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Pierre Baudis Convention Center, Toulouse, France, June 23-28, 2024, Paper IEPC-2024-288.

[4] V. Pessina, J. Schein, and M. Smirnova, "Numerical Framework for the Development of Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion for Earth and Mars Atmosphere," presented at the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Toulouse, France, June 23-28, 2024, Paper IEPC-2024-289.

[5] R. Kozakov, M. M. Bär, C. Walter, and J. Schein, "Determination of the neutral gas density by VUV absorption measurements," presented at the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Toulouse, France, June 23-28, 2024, Paper IEPC-2024-373.

[6] J. Krenzer, F. Reichenbach, and J. Schein, "New Methods for Computer Tomography Based Ion Thruster Diagnostics and Simulation," presented at the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Toulouse, France, June 23-28, 2024, Paper IEPC-2024-469.