Blog

Here is a first look at the new enhanced case design already in production for the AIS-ILIS1 electrospray thruster! Taking lessons from the recent ignition test and subsequent post-test thruster analysis, the case design needed major rework to minimize liquid … Continued

The new 3D printed Ultem 1010 cases for the next generation AIS-ePPT1 pulsed plasma thrusters are in! Spring fed Teflon, electrodes, and mounting integrated with the case greatly reduces manufacturing cost and assembly time, and the modular design allows swapping … Continued

I am pleased to announce that I have been invited to speak at Open Core Summit 2020 Digital this September, sharing my work and experiences with AIS developing open source electric propulsion, and as the only open source EP company … Continued

Here is a video demo of the new open source DIY electric propulsion kit in the works for the AIS-GPPT3-1C pulsed plasma thruster! Actual thruster test code is running on this current V2 board, run from an Arduino to control … Continued

The newest prototype AIS-gPPT3-1C DIY open source pulsed plasma thruster electric propulsion learning kit is soldered up with the V2 board for testing with the SLA printed thruster stack bolted on! I am working on recording some simple demo video … Continued

In a Part 3 of the ILIS1 ignition test review, I reviewed my findings from the captured video of the second ignition attempt of the AIS-ILIS1 ionic liquid electrospray thruster. In this final part, I will go over post test … Continued

The first generation boards for my newest class of pulsed plasma thrusters for nanosats, the AIS-ePPT1 are in! This thruster takes lessons from the old AIS-gPPT3-1C, further improving lifetime, performance, and reliability, while significantly reducing total manufacturing costs further. I … Continued

The V2 boards for the first ever AIS EP learning kit, simulating actual operation of the AIS-gPPT3-1C micro pulsed plasma thruster are in, as well as the first model SLA print of the gPPT3 thruster stack for the kit! This … Continued

On July 21st, I ran the 2nd ignition test for the ILIS1 ionic liquid electrospray thruster. My previous post detailed the actual test phase itself. While I did not achieve complete emission, it is a huge improvement with actual controlled … Continued

In my previous post on the fueling phase for the second test of the of the AIS-ILIS1 ionic liquid electrospray thruster, I went over the fueling and degassing cycle in preparation of ignition. In this post, I will review the … Continued