Roy is part of a U.S. Space Force-funded effort to create new types of propulsion for spacecraft

Jinia Roy, the Thomas A. Lipo Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is part of a $35 million, multi-institution research team funded by the U.S. Space Force to develop a new type of propulsion for spacecraft.

The newly formed Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience Institute is led by the University of Michigan and involves eight universities and 14 industry partners and advisers in one of the nation’s largest efforts to advance space power and propulsion, a critical need for national defense and space exploration.

Right now, most spacecraft propulsion comes in one of two flavors: chemical rockets, which provide a lot of thrust but burn through fuel quickly, or electric propulsion powered by solar panels, which is slow and cumbersome but fuel efficient. The team is working on developing a system that combines the two by using a nuclear microreactor to give electric systems higher power and developing fuels that can be used both to power chemical rockets and as propellants for electric propulsion.

Roy will be leading the effort on power management for the project.

Learn more about the Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience Institute here.