Study of the viability and competitiveness of Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) systems for Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) missions through the comparative with propulsion systems commonly used today.

This project intends to define the viability of Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) systems in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) missions and its competitiveness against other drag-compensating propulsion systems commonly used today. In order to evaluate this, the technological evolution required for the ABEP to be competitive, both in a technological and an economical point of view, with its most directly competitors will be defined.There are a lot of opportunities in the Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) market due to a lot of benefits. However, one of the main challenges is the aerodynamic drag resistance, stronger than in any other range of orbits’ altitudes. That causes fast decay which is translated in very short mission life-times or the requirement of a propulsion system in order to compensate the drag force. This challenge can be turned up to an opportunity if the rarefied air present at these altitudes is used as a propellant for an electric propulsion system in order to compensate the drag force. This project evaluates the physical viability but also the competitiveness of Atmosphere Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) systems by performing a comparison on the performances of current ABEP systems with other common propulsion systems suitable for this mission too. It includes also an analytical study of the performance capabilities of the state of the art most advanced ABEP concept suitable for drag compensation of a VLEO mission. These two evaluations require a previous exhaustive study and description of the current and historical ABEP concepts and other propulsion systems suitable a mission with this characteristics