eSpace Webinar – Space Propulsion Systems (SPS) Series Part 4: Micropropulsion, by Prof. Hiroyuki Koizumi

For this last seminar of the SPS series, prof. Koizumi will explain the meaning of the miniaturized propulsion system dedicated to small satellites (1 – 200 kg size). Its operating principle is the same as the propulsion as mentioned above, but the miniaturization generates a lot of limitations and features.

Prof. Koizumi has been our guest at eSpace since July 2021. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Advanced Energy and Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he directs the Space Propulsion Laboratory and leads the developments of micro-propulsion systems for microsatellites: Hodoyoshi-4, PROCYON, AQT-D, and EQUULEUS.
In 2020, he started working as CTO at the space-propulsion startup Pale Blue Inc., that was founded by him and engineers who got Ph.D. at his lab.
Previously, Hiroyuki Koizumi served as an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science at JAXA from 2007 to 2011, where he was involved in Hayabusa-1 project and he was responsible for the operation of the ion engines mu-10 and the retrieval of the Hayabusa capsule at Woomera in Australia.
He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Keio University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Tokyo.
He was awarded the International Electric Propulsion Conference Best Paper Award (2015) and Prizes for Science and Technology, the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2017).