At the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, the STAR (Satellite Technologies and Astro Research) enterprise was created for serial production of plasma and other engines for small spacecraft – nano- and microsatellites. This was told to socialbites.ca at MEPhI.
Now the main product of the company is the VERA plasma propulsion system. It is the best in Russia among engines of this class in terms of size, weight, energy efficiency and operational safety.
Now the volume of the Russian market alone for this type of engine is about 70 installations per year. This figure was achieved due to real demand from potential buyers of space companies such as Sputniks and Geoscan.
“Engines of this type are used in space in low-Earth orbit and perform several functions: they correct the orbit of the spacecraft, allowing to increase the service life of the satellite and, accordingly, the payload installed on it. In addition, the propulsion systems make it possible to build and optimally deploy vehicles included in multi-satellite constellations on the Earth’s surface. Finally, the engine allows to lift satellites that have reached the end of their active life into the Earth’s atmosphere, thereby getting rid of space debris in near-Earth space,” the developer of the device, chief engineer of the STAR company, senior lecturer at the Institute of Laser and Plasma Technologies of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI Igor Egorov told socialbites.ca.
The company will be able to make its first sale before the end of this year. In the future, production of engines for spacecraft with larger mass and size may begin.
Formerly a doctor It has been saidHow much freshly squeezed juice can you drink per day?