Projet E-Sailors (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Information Science and Engineering
Statut du projet : SIGNED

The Electric solar wind Sail doctors (E-Sailors) is a challenge-based Doctoral Network that aims to bring Electric solar wind sail (E-sail) from low Earth orbit (LEO) demonstration missions to the operational environment of the solar wind. It is delivered by 8 universities in cooperation with FMI, where E-sail was invented, and 4 SMEs. E-sail is a highly innovative and potentially disruptive propellantless propulsion system. An operational E-sail consists of hair-thin and kilometres-long wires, or tethers, which are charged at a high voltage creating an electrostatic sheath (electric sail) which deflects solar wind particles and generates the propulsive effect in interplanetary environment. Successful and rapid development and deployment of the technology will ensure EU's leadership in the exploration and exploitation of deep space, the next commercial space frontier. To advance E-sail, we will implement 15 PhD projects to: 1) Develop mission and experiment designs for demonstrating the E-sail in solar wind and for utilizing the E-sail for visiting small Solar System bodies and potential interstellar objects; 2) Design state-of-the-art solar wind propulsion systems and their components; 3) Design nanospacecraft (~15 kg) platform and subsystems for control, navigation, communications and operations; 4) Establish an open source research community for E-sail modelling and mission design software. In doing the above, we will achieve the following training objectives for our doctoral candidates: 1) Equip them with core scientific skills and specialised knowledge in designing experiments for demonstrating space technologies and developing space missions; 2) Provide them with a wide range of transferrable skills, such as Open Science and FAIR, communicating science to public, advocacy, networking etc.; 3) Develop their business and entrepreneurship skills, such as IPR management, preliminary business planning, pitching to investors, starting start-ups.

Mots clés : propellantless propulsion, coulomb drag propulsion, electric solar wind sail, in orbit demonstration missions, space science, deep space technology

Participants :
- Université Aalto (Finlande) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 340735.2 €
- Université de Tartu (Estonie) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 602337.06 €
- Université de technologie de Tallinn (Estonie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 208501.29 €
- Ventspils university of applied sciences (Lettonie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 176769.12 €
- Université technologique de Dresde (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 870816.96 €
- Aurora propulsion technologies oy (Finlande) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 78631.2 €
- Institut météorologique finlandais (Finlande) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 183472.8 €
- Spacecraft anatomy oü (Estonie) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 92667.24 €
- Crystalspace ou (Estonie) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 92667.24 €
- Nanocraft (Lettonie) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 265153.68 €
- Université technique de Riga (Lettonie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 397730.52 €
- Université de Pise (Italie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 281755.08 €
- KTH Institut royal de technologie (Suède) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 757470.0 €