Artificial equilibrium points for electrostatic flight in airless moon environments (E-Glider technology)

Abstract

Close-proximity exploration of airless celestial bodies is challenging due to low gravity, lack of atmosphere, and uncertain surface properties. The “E-Glider”, conceived by Dr. Quadrelli, is a promising concept to overcome these obstacles and enable detailed exploration in these environments. Their working mechanism relies on charging the spacecraft to a specific potential distribution, enabling the generation of artificial equilibrium points and, consequently, facilitating electrostatic flight. This research builds upon previous work, focused on the use of E-Glider for asteroid close observation, to larger celestial bodies such as the moons of Jupiter (Io, Europa), Mars (Deimos, Phobos), and the Earth’s Moon. For these purposes, a Particle-In-Cell code (E-PIC) and a equilibrium algorithm code (E-QUIL-DER) were developed to compute the plasma properties around these objects and determine the precise voltage distribution required for an E-Glider to maintain equilibrium across its entire area, rather than at a discrete point. Our results show that smaller moons enable low-energy electrostatic flight (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sim10$$\end{document} V), while larger bodies like Earth’s Moon require higher potentials (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\sim10^3$$\end{document} V). This dependency arises from the E-Glider’s position relative to the Moon and its size. Notably, our analysis reveals a direct relationship between the required voltage and the E-Glider’s characteristic length, with smaller spacecraft requiring lower potentials to maintain stability. This work meaningfully advances electrostatic flight technology, also outlining the key engineering challenges and its potential for future missions.