Characterization of e-sails: a novel propulsive concept that exploits the solar wind to propel larger spacecraft for interplanetary travel

Pekka Janhunen of the Finnish Meteorological Institute first proposed the concept of electric sails
in 2006, which utilize the solar wind dynamic pressure to generate a small, yet continuous thrust by
interacting with an electric field generated from charged tethers. This technology could be a competitive
propulsion system for future missions, and NASA’s Marshall Space Center has provided funding for a
Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II project to model the thruster performance of an E-sail
spacecraft. This work will include a test campaign to validate parallel 3D Particle-In-Cell (PIC) codes
with improved boundary conditions. This dissertation entails the experimental test campaign needed
to validate the parallel 3D Particle-In- Cell (PIC) codes with improved boundary conditions. This
campaign will be focused on characterizing the performances of a surrogate sail exposed to a high
density, high velocity plasma stream simulating the solar wind, exploiting novel plasma accelerators.
To better estimate the power consumption required for keeping the tethers at high potential the current
discharge will be investigated. Estimating the momentum poses challenges, in particular devising a
thrust measurement technique that allows for high sensitivity. Upon successful completion of the
Phase II effort, the validated PIC-based approaches will be used to examine the controllability and
optimization of E-sail spacecraft, including its size and layout, as well as adapting it to the changing
plasma environment for in-space operations.