Space Propulsion PhD Researcher

Cranfield University and Magdrive, offer a fully funded PhD position under the umbrella of the R2T2 consortium to study the optimisation of their thruster for a kick stage.

R2T2 is a UKSA-funded doctoral training programme dedicated to academic research in space propulsion. R2T2 PhD programmes are already underway at nine UK universities, and the programme overall is centred on the Westcott facility where it co-locates with the UK Race2Space programme. Each R2T2 studentship is associated with an industrial partner active in the launch industry, and provides full funding and stipend, an extensive training programme in respect of industry-specific skills, and access to hotfire facilities at Westcott, Machrihanish, and elsewhere. You can learn more about the programme at r2t2.org.uk.

Kick stages are a cost-effective way to dramatically increase the performance of launch vehicles. Electric orbit raising kick stages have not seen widespread use due to the low thrust of electric propulsion (EP), leading to slow transfer times. Magdrive are developing the high-thrust SuperMagdrive propulsion system targeting 1N or higher thrust equivalent to the smallest chemical propulsion systems.

Magdrive technology, including SuperMagdrive, operates using metallic propellant, offering density, integration, and safety advantages compared to conventional launcher propellants such as hydrazine. However, metal propellants potentially pose a risk during the proximity operations a kick stage would undertake, for example, condensing on sensitive surfaces such as solar arrays and optical or other sensors.

This collaboration between Cranfield University and Magdrive will study plume effects of Magdrive's dynamic pulsed plasma thruster on relevant targets. Simulation of plasma expansion and condensation in the space environment will be compared with experimental results using Magdrive's state-of-the-art vacuum and plasma diagnostic facilities at the DEEP lab at Harwell.

The project aims to provide a detailed understanding of plasma deposition affecting operational utility of SuperMagdrive propelled launcher kick stages; leading to an updated design of kick stage that could be offered into the UK's commercial spaceflight ecosystem.

This PhD will be supervised by Dr Enric Grustan (Lecturer, Cranfield University) and Dr Adam Baker (Visiting Fellow at Cranfield and Senior Project Engineer, Magdrive)