Using Water as a New Space Fuel

Using water as fuel to travel in space. This is the challenge of WET – Water-based Electric Thrusters, a new Horizon Europe research project coordinated by the University of Bologna. Researchers will explore the behaviour of plasma generated from water to devise a new type of electric propulsion to be used on space satellites.

“With this project, we aim to take a decisive step towards the standardisation of sustainable propulsion technologies that reduce the environmental impact of space missions and to exploit the resources available in space”, explains Fabrizio Ponti, Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Bologna (Forlì Campus), who coordinates the initiative. "Thanks to water, an ecological and versatile propellant, new possibilities for deep space exploration will open up, with a special focus on economic and environmental sustainability”.

Hosted at Alma Propulsion Laboratory in the Forlì Campus of the University of Bologna, the WET project aims to exploit water as a propellant for space thrusters, transforming it into plasma and using the electricity produced to generate kinetic thrust. A consortium of nine universities and research institutes from Europe, Africa and Oceania will take on this challenge, bringind together expertise in advanced engineering skills, plasma physics, and innovative technological systems.

The research group will study the fundamental processes that regulate the formation and behaviour of plasma generated from water with the goal of designing an electric powertrain capable of propelling spacecraft.

The laboratories used by the research group will be upgraded to allow the experimental validation of the new technologies and to test tools  for measuring and characterising water-based plasma, thus ensuring precise and repeatable results.

The goal is to develop a new model of space propulsion designed to operate within a power range of 500 to 1,000 watts,  making it particularly suitable for small satellites (SmallSats) and offering potential applications in deep space.

“The WET project aims not only to develop an innovative technology, but also to create a new vision for the future of space exploration”, adds Professor Ponti. “Thanks to a collaboration between excellent institutions worlwide, we can envision a future in which access to space will be increasingly sustainable and democratic, opening up new frontiers for research and industry”.

The standardisation of water-based propulsion is in fact a fundamental step forward towards making space technologies more accessible and sustainable, paving the way to other possible applications, while offering professional growth opportunities to young researchers from all over the world, with a particular attention to gender diversity and social inclusion.

The WET project – Water-based Electric Thrusters is funded under the Horizon Europe MSCA Staff Exchange programme. Together with the University of Bologna, which coordinates the initiative, the following institutions are involved: International University of Rabat (Morocco), University of Padua (Italy), National Research Council (CNR, Italy), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS, France), University of Stuttgart (Germany), University of Auckland (New Zealand), Australian National University (Australia), Chouaib Doukkali University (Morocco).