Development and testing of propulsion systems for small satellite platforms

The Surrey Space Centre, part of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, is a world-class institution for space engineering research with a growing interest in propulsion for the small satellite industry.

The successful candidate will join the plasma dynamics and propulsion group, and be conducting hands-on laboratory investigations on innovative propulsion prototypes (chemical or electric propulsion).

In particular, the PhD project involves the following activities:

• Design and development of novel propulsion concepts for small satellite platforms
• Design and implementation of testbeds for the development of propulsion systems
• Performance characterisation of propulsion devices
• Experimental investigations combined with analytical modeling for characterising the underlying physics of the propulsion devices.

For informal discussions, please contact Dr Andrea Lucca Fabris.