I am very excited to have participated in this newly released deep-dive 5-part interview with JS Sweeney and the amazing BlackShip.One team! I had a fantastic time answering some incredibly multi-faceted questions on EP and my work through AIS developing open-source low-cost systems.
The extensive interview dives into many technical aspects of electric propulsion systems and their applications to nanosats and picosats, as well as my own work through Applied Ion Systems, leading a radically new development of open-source, low cost plasma and ion thrusters for Cubesats and PocketQubes, including my approach and challenges in developing such traditionally expensive and capital intensive technologies on an almost non-existent budget at home.
In this final segment of the series, I dive into the struggles, challenges, and road of AIS at the personal level. Out of all the parts in the series I feel this is the most important, as it touches upon the fundamental core of my effort through AIS – why open source, and the struggles of forging ahead in the EP field as a one-man open-source propulsion company developing advanced micro plasma and ion thrusters for nanosats and picosats in the basement, challenging convention in the field, and delivering propulsion systems to orbit on a budget of essentially pennies.