Two SPL PhD students traveled to Milan, Italy this week to attend the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). With over 10,000 attendees from more than 50 countries, IAC is one of the largest gatherings of space professionals worldwide. Saba Shaik presented a paper titled “Effect of Spacecraft Charging on Performance of Ion Electrospray Propulsion Systems,” which experimentally evaluates how the performance of electrospray thrusters can be changed by effects that are unique to the orbital environment and not usually accounted for in laboratory testing. A link to the full paper can be found below:
Effect of Spacecraft Charging on Performance of Ion Electrospray Propulsion Systems