Short DEDALOS presentation

DEDALOS Ltd. was founded as a start-up in 2011, following the HPH.com European Community 7th Framework research project and is an European SME located in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is working especially on plasma modeling and diagnostics for aerospace engineering. In relation to HPH.com and to subsequent projects to which DEDALOS Ltd. participated as leader or collaborator, the company developed an heritage addressing especially Collisional-Radiative (C-R) modeling, Global Models (GM) and Detailed Global Models (DGM) with applications to various atomic and molecular gases and to their mixtures.

DGMs are a physical - chemical extension of the Collisional-Radiative models. They constitute a powerful tool for Electric Thruster (ET) modeling, for the study of the observed erosion and for Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) diagnostics. Development of GM / DGM based on selected evaluated atomic data allows for development, benchmarking and characterization of different ET types, as Helicon, HET, RIT, FEEP, fed by various propellants. Although GMs were occasionally proposed as support of electric propulsion development, the innovation of having recourse to DGM technology has been initiated by DEDALOS Ltd. DGM technology has already been used successfully by DEDALOS Ltd in the characterization and the development of various thruster types meant for space applications as disruptive ABET technology, Mars satellites propulsion support and replacement of Xe propellant by iodine. These applications aim satellite raising, maintain of satellites in LEO, VLEO, LMO and VLMO and propulsion for space trips. The two first applications are within the ISRU scheme. Comparison of the characteristics of various ET and prototypes and their benchmarking and optimization has been obtained.

Besides space applications, DEDALOS is interested in DGM application in plasma reactor support for surface treatment technology, as nitridation.

DEDALOS Ltd. accomplished in 2014 – 2015 the ESA project ‘Neutral Particle Generator’, 4000112585/14/NL/PA. This work constitutes a detailed description of the way that ISRU technology is applied to air-breathing ETs for LEO. Also, participated notably in the “Helicon Plasma Thruster for Space Missions” AO/1-7048/12/NL/CO project of ESA.

Big part of the DEDALOS Ltd. activities contribute to the development of the following three R&D projects: 
* ISRU Based Electric Propulsion
* Lowly Ionized Plasma in Space and Laboratory
* Plasma Reactor Support by Detailed Global Models
Descriptions of these projects of DEDALOS Ltd. are available in the Net at “katsonis researchgate projects” 

Topics that we are interested in include :
Technologies for non-dependence and competitiveness of the European Space Sector, including Earth observation mission technologies, in-Space electrical propulsion and station keeping.
Galileo Evolution, Mission and Service related R&D activities.
Low cost access to space by small satellites.
These topics call for development of electric thrusters using ISRU technology for propulsion of satellites and of s/c for Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Moon projects and disruptive fueling solutions as indium and iodine.

Among various propellants we address specifically:
(i) Mixtures of atoms and molecules which are encountered in the Earth atmosphere remnants at around 200 km altitude (mainly O+N2 , for air-breathing technology known as ABET)
(ii) Propellants available in various regions of the Solar system, notably CO2 in the Mars atmosphere, N2 in the Titan one.
(iii) Selected propellants as In and Xe for specific applications and also disruptive electric propulsion technology based on iodine propellant.

DEDALOS Ltd possesses the necessary software and diagnostics tools required to realize work addressing the aforementioned projects. Available software include notably specific DGMs. Dedicated software development pertaining to quasi-classical and quantum atomic and molecular data evaluation and spectral analysis is used to support the detailed structure of the plasma components and their reactions physics.

Among the numerous publications belonging to DEDALOS Ltd. R&D activities, a partial list related to electric propulsion related part  is:

K. Katsonis, Ch. Berenguer, D. Pavarin, A. Lucca Fabris, F. Trezzolani, M. Faenza, P. Tsekeris, S. Cohen and M. Cornille, Optical Diagnostics of a Low Temperature Argon Thruster, IEPC-2011-169, 32nd IEPC Conference, Wiesbaden, Germany, Sept. 2011
K. Katsonis and Ch. Berenguer, Characterization of Low Pressure CO2 Plasmas in Space, ESA 6th RHTG Workshop, St. Andrews, UK, Nov. 2014
Ch. Berenguer and K. Katsonis, Global Modeling of CO2 Discharges with Aerospace Applications, vol. 2014, Article ID 847097
K. Katsonis, Ch. Berenguer and J. Gonzalez del Amo, Characterization of Air Breathing Plasma Thrusters Fuelled by Atmospheric Mixtures Encountered in Earth Atmosphere at an Altitude of About 200 km, 34th IEPC Conference, IEPC-2015-268, Kobe, Japan, July 2015
K. Katsonis, Ch. Berenguer, J. Gonzalez del Amo and C. Stavrinidis, Atmospheric Remnants in the Low Earth Orbit Region around 200 km Altitude, 2015, World Journal of Engineering and Technology, Vol. 3, p. 26
K. Katsonis, Ch. Berenguer, J. Gonzalez del Amo and C. Stavrinidis, CO2 / N2 Breathing Electric Thrusters for LMOs, 5th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2016_3124972, Rome, Italy, May 2016
K. Katsonis, Ch. Berenguer, S. Scharmann, W. Gärtner, K. Holste, P. Köhler, S. Mitić and P.J. Klar, Global model based development of electric thrusters using iodine propellant, 5th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2016_3125322, Rome, Italy, May 2016
Ch. Berenguer and K. Katsonis, A Detailed Global Model for Characterization of CO2 Fed Electric Thrusters, Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2016, vol. 2, 281, p. 1708
Ch. Berenguer, K. Katsonis, J. Gonzalez del Amo, and C. Stavrinidis, Diagnostics of Air-Breathing Electric Thrusters by Optical Emission Spectroscopy, 5th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2016_3124973, Rome, Italy, May 2016 
K. Katsonis and Ch. Berenguer, A Detailed Global Model of Iodine Plasma for Optimization and Diagnostics of Electric Thrusters, Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2016, vol. 2, 166, p. 1093
K. Katsonis and Ch. Berenguer, Study of CO2 Plasma of Interest to Space Applications Based on a Detailed Global Model, ESA 7th RHTG Workshop, Stuttgart, Germany, Nov. 2016
K. Katsonis, Ch. Berenguer and J. Gonzalez del Amo, An Indium Detailed Global Model for FEEP Thrusters Characterization and Optical Diagnostics, 6th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2018_097, Seville, Spain, May 2018
K. Katsonis, Ch. Berenguer, D. Pavarin , F. Trezzolani, M. Manente and J. Gonzalez del Amo, A Xenon Detailed Global Model in Support of Electric Propulsion Technology, 6th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2018_212, Seville, Spain, May 2018
K. Katsonis and Ch. Berenguer, Characterization and Optical Diagnostics of CO2 Fed Electric Thrusters by Using a Detailed Global Model, 6th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2018_237, Seville, Spain, May 2018
Ch. Berenguer, K. Katsonis and J. Gonzalez del Amo, Using of an Iodine Detailed Global Model for Characterization and for Optical Diagnostics of Helicon Thrusters, 6th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2018_215, Seville, Spain, May 2018
Ch. Berenguer, K. Katsonis and J. Gonzalez del Amo, Air Breathing Electric Thruster Characterization and Diagnostics by a Four Components Detailed Global Model, 6th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2018_345, Seville, Spain, May 2018
Ch. Berenguer and K. Katsonis, Detailed Global Modeling in Support of Electric Propulsion and Throttling of Common Propellants, 6th Space Propulsion Conference, Paper ID SP2018_245, Seville, Spain, May 2018