Motor will allow small satellites to go beyond Earth's orbit

According to a statement, the team from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has created a micro motor that can drastically reduce the cost of space exploration.

The compact motor weighs only a few hundred grams and is specifically designed to propel small satellites, weighing from one to 100kg. Conventional thrusters can change a satellite’s orbit around our planet and enable it to travel to more distant destinations, but it is usually used for large and expensive spacecraft.

The team says its prototype will probably be used on CleanSpace One, a satellite currently being developed at EPFL that will clean up space debris, as well as on OLFAR, a swarm of Dutch nanosatellites able to record ultra-low radio-frequency signals on the far side of the Moon.

The prototype weighs approximately 200g, which includes fuel and control electronics. The highly efficient motor can be mounted on satellites as small as 10 x 10 x 10cm³.