The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning / McGill University
Advancing Deep Space Propulsion Technology Using High-Altitude Balloon Platforms — This project will use high-altitude ballooning to develop technology that will find application in deep space propulsion within the solar system and beyond. The propulsion concept uses a free source of energy: the solar wind. While the solar wind is tenuous, it can be interacted with using magnetic fields to transfer thrust to a spacecraft. This proposal will develop the key hardware components required to demonstrate the Plasma Magnet: devices capable of deploying and controlling large loops of superconducting cable measuring meters in diameter from a small, CubeSat-sized spacecraft.