We are delighted to announce the successful Final Acceptance Review Meeting for the “VSTRAP – Last Mile” project, conducted in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) on July 8th 2024. This milestone marks the culmination of our efforts, supported by the LuxIMPULSE program, to significantly enhance VSTRAP-GIE’s capabilities.
Through this project, we have substantially expanded VSTRAP-GIE’s functionality across multiple domains, including:
- Performance
- Credibility proof
- User experience
- Integrability
with focus on advancing the modelling and simulation capabilities, specifically in:
- RF discharge modelling
- 2-gridded and 3-gridded ion optics configurations
- Multiple erosion phenomena
- Thruster lifetime impact assessment
- High-fidelity plume simulations with accurate beam construction
These advancements allow positioning VSTRAP-GIE as a comprehensive and powerful tool not only for the design and analysis of gridded ion optics configurations, but mainly as de-risking tool for the whole development phase – from low TRL activities to market introduction.
We extend our gratitude to ESA and the LuxIMPULSE program for their support throughout this project. This successful outcome reinforces SPARC Industries’ commitment to innovation in space technology and EP systems. For more information about VSTRAP and its enhanced capabilities, please contact our VSTRAP Support team via the contact form.
