DEDALOS Ltd was founded as a start-up in 2011, following the HPH.com European Community 7th Framework research project and is a 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.
In 2019 – 2023, DEDALOS Ltd participated in the EC project 'Aether', working on Solar system atmospheres in view of their use as electric propulsion propellant.
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 from 2012 – 2013.
Big part of the DEDALOS Ltd. activities contribute to the development of the following three R&D project types :
* 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 “katsonis researchgate projects”, directly :
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Konstantinos-Katsonis
R&D project 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.
● Study of space electric propulsion with In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technology, addressing atmospheres of the objects contained in the Solar system.
● 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, Venus and Mars, Jupiter and Ice Giants and Moon projects and also disruptive fueling solutions addressing indium and iodine.
Among various addressed propellants are 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) H2 / He mixtures encountered in the Ice Giants atmospheres.
(iv) 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.