Spain creates a miniature rocket engine for spacecraft weighing up to 50 kg
The ATHENA miniature engine, developed by a team led by Daniel Perez Grande of IENAI Spain, is ready for production.
A distinctive feature of the ATHENA engine is its adaptability and its basis in nanotechnology with electrospraying. Each motor is equipped with seven emitter arrays containing 500 point emitters on silicon wafers. Electrically charged particles from the conductive salt are sprayed and driven by an electrostatic field, creating a significant thrust of about 20 km per second.
This was reported on the project’s official website.
This technology is based on the electrospray method, which was previously used in mass spectrometry and is now being applied in space. The ATHENA can be reconfigured in flight and provides extensive control options, and is environmentally friendly as it uses non-toxic fuel and does not require pressurized storage tanks.
These miniature engines, combined in groups, can effectively maneuver spacecraft weighing up to 50 kg, and the team plans to further develop the technology to work with vessels weighing up to 300 kg. Such innovations open new perspectives for the development of tiny spacecraft, bringing more flexibility and opportunities in space exploration.
