Imagine a satellite that doesn’t need fuel to zip around Earth. That’s the promise of air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) technology being developed by the University of Surrey’s Surrey Space Centre.
ABEP spacecraft target a sweet spot in the atmosphere called very low Earth orbit (VLEO), between 95 and 250 miles high. This zone offers a chance to revolutionize Earth observation, climate monitoring, and satellite communication.
Funded by a £250,000 grant from the UK Space Agency, the project is creating a blueprint for ABEP. This includes thruster tests, orbital analysis, and aerodynamic simulations.
Here’s how it works: ABEP uses the thin air at VLEO as fuel for an electric thruster. The satellite scoops up air particles and channels them into a chamber. There, they’re bombarded with energy, turning them into super-hot plasma. This plasma is then used for propulsion.
“We’re developing a device to operate in the thin air found in VLEO,” explains Mansur Tisaev, a postgraduate researcher. “By collecting and compressing air, we can create propellant, accelerate it using electric and magnetic fields, and harness solar power.”
VLEO offers several advantages over traditional low Earth orbit (LEO). It’s less crowded, free of space debris, and much closer to Earth. This proximity allows for high-resolution imagery and faster communication. Additionally, studying the ionosphere at VLEO could improve atmospheric models.
However, a major hurdle remains: atmospheric drag. While LEO allows satellites to coast with minimal propulsion, VLEO’s thin air creates drag that constantly needs counteracting. ABEP aims to solve this by using the very air causing the drag as fuel, enabling extended missions in this new orbital frontier.