Ibadan, 6 Novmber 2024. – ONERA, ThrustMe, and Airbus Defence and Space have initiated the IPISC project (Iodine Propulsion Interaction with Satellites and Components), with support from ESA and CNES.
The project aims to evaluate iodine’s potential as a new propellant for satellites weighing over 500 kg, focusing on the interaction between iodine propulsion systems and a range of satellite materials and components. Iodine-based propulsion offers an alternative to noble gases like xenon.
With the IPISC project, the collaborators intend to ensure that iodine can meet the demands of larger, more complex, and longer-duration missions, whether in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), or for interplanetary missions.
The French team, with ONERA in charge, includes ThrustMe, a French SME that designs electric propulsion systems and pioneers the use of iodine in electric propulsion, and Airbus Defence and Space, a specialist in designing space platforms.
Airbus will consequently assess iodine’s impact on various satellite surface materials. Likewise, ONERA will contribute expertise in material resilience to the space environment, using advanced experimental and simulation capabilities to evaluate iodine’s effect on satellite surface materials. On the other hand, ThrustMe’s iodine propulsion expertise will be essential in achieving representative experimental conditions.
Using iodine for satellite propulsion is a strategic priority for Europe. Current propellants, such as xenon and krypton, are increasingly expensive and scarce. Consequently, researchers worldwide are exploring iodine, as it is the only alternative capable of delivering comparable or superior performance to noble gases in electric propulsion. ThrustMe demonstrated the effectiveness of iodine-based propulsion in space and several of its systems are currently operational on small satellites in orbit, confirming the maturity of this innovative technology.
