The Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation, together with the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology and the Polish Space Agency, are organizing an international conference entitled 13th Development Trends in Space Propulsion Systems (December 5-6, 2024) which will be held in Warsaw. The event is an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the Polish and international space industry. The main area of interest of this year’s conference is new space propulsion systems.
The main goal of the event is to advance research in space technology and inspire solutions to the challenges of this fascinating field. The conference is aimed at scientists, researchers and industry representatives involved in space technologies, with a special focus on propulsion systems.
“New space propulsion, or rather green space propulsion, is a promising research direction. Many companies and institutions are now looking for sustainable solutions in the space industry. Such expectations are created not only by the market seeking new solutions, but also by space agencies. Examples include the numerous projects implemented with funds from the European Space Agency. We will discover more about these and other projects at our conference,” says Sylwester Wyka, PhD, deputy director for research at Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation.
“The conference is an excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience between experts from Poland and abroad. As every year, the main focus will be on innovative space propulsion technologies, which, thanks to the merits of the late Professor Piotr Wolański, are growing into a Polish technological specialization within the ESA”, says Dr. Michał Wierciński, vice president of the Polish Space Agency.
European debate on space propulsion
The conference program includes presentations by experts from the European Space Agency, Polish Space Agency, Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation (Poland), Warsaw University of Technology (Poland), DLR (Germany), Thales Alenia Space (UK), Airbus Defence and Space (UK), Ariane Group (Germany), Swedish Defense Materiel Administration, FMV (Sweden), Arcadia Space (Spain), Busch Group (Germany), Inpraise Systems (Czech Republic), SpaceForest (Poland), Military Institute of Armament Technology (Poland), and the Sylwester Kaliski Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microsynthesis (Poland).
The invited experts will discuss the following topics:
- Technical challenges in development of green space propulsion. Environmental impact versus costs and availability. Industry case studies
- How vacuum technology enables progress in spaceflight?
- Bringing new space propulsion solutions to the market. Cost implications and feasibility for large-scale adoption
- Propulsion testing and modeling
- Space propulsion beyond LEO – the next decades
- Solid and hybrid propulsion
- Green propulsion
- Future propulsion systems
Key speakers are also scheduled during the conference:
- Prof. Michael Gozin (Tel Aviv University) – “Janus-type Hypergolic Fuels for Hybrid Systems using H2O2 and HAN – based oxidizers”.
- Prof. Maurizio Natali (University of Perugia) – “State-of-the-art of high temperature materials for rocket motors: a review”.
The conference will begin with a speech by Dr. Adam Okniński of Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation on the topic of green propulsion systems, in the context of the recent success of the launch of the ILR-33 AMBER 2K rocket into space and next possible steps in the implementation of the technology in satellite systems.
Professor Piotr Wolański Awards
The culmination of the first day of the conference will be the presentation of special awards to commemorate the outstanding contribution of Professor Piotr Wolański to the development of space propulsion systems and his commitment to promoting innovation and research in space exploration.
Professor Wolański was associated with the Warsaw University of Technology and the Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation. At the latter, under the leadership of the professor, a team was formed to develop a method for obtaining hydrogen peroxide with a concentration of more than 98%, which was used as an oxidizer in the ILR-33 AMBER 2K suborbital rocket. The rocket crossed the boundary of space this year. It is also the first in the world to use this green propellant.
The awards will be presented in several categories and will honor individuals and/or organizations that have contributed to the advancement of space propulsion technologies, in which Prof. Wolański’s activities have developed, promoting research and technologies that could change the future of space exploration.
The competition is organized by Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation, Warsaw University of Technology and the Polish Space Agency.
The event is held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Development and Technology, the Polish Space Agency, the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Association of Polish Space Sector Professionals and the Space Sector Employers Association. Busch Group is the sponsor of the conference.
For more information: https://spacetrends.pl/
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