Efficient Satellite Thrusters at Paihau-Robinson Research Institute

Article kindly provided by Victoria University’s Paihau-Robinson Research Institute

Engineers and scientists at Victoria University’s Paihau-Robinson Research Institute are currently building a technology demonstration payload that will launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025. The mission is named Hēki - te reo Māori for “egg” - and will be housed on the ISS’ NanoRacks External Platform. Hēki will demonstrate that a High-Temperature Superconducting magnet and its wireless inductive power supply (called a “flux pump”) can survive the journey to space and operate for long durations there. The payload will be returned to Paihau-Robinson for post-flight characterisation at the end of its time in space.

The Hēki mission – and its ground-based complementary component, Kōkako – are part of a coordinated effort to improve the efficiency of ion thrusters used for spacecraft propulsion, station-keeping, and orientation. This MBIE-funded research project is a collaboration between Paihau-Robinson and participants from IDS Consulting, Asteria Engineering Consultancy, University of Canterbury, University of Auckland, and the Czech Technical University in Prague.

The Kōkako component focuses on characterising how a thruster’s performance can be improved by applying a high magnetic field to accelerate the thruster’s plasma. To enable this effort, the team has commissioned a test facility simulating the environment of space and a well-calibrated thrust stand capable of measuring the ion thruster performance with great precision. The team has mounted the ion thruster and magnet in the vacuum chamber and has just successfully completed the first tests of the integrated system.

The Hēki team has successfully completed several reviews with NASA over the past year and is now working toward final approval to launch. The team is currently assembling the technology demonstration payload. Next, the Hēki team will focus on functional and environmental testing to ensure that Hēki will survive the journey to space and operate successfully in the space environment – including vacuum, extreme temperatures,  radiation, and electromagnetic compatibility with other systems.