Reported by: Yan Zhang
Photographed by: Feng Jian
Translated by: Zhao Mengmeng
Edited by: Garrick Jones
The 12th China Academic Seminar on Electric Propulsion Technology sponsored by the Electric Propulsion Professional Committee of China Society of Astronautics and undertaken by HIT was held in Harbin from December 23 to 25. The experts and scholars from more than 60 units such as related universities, scientific research institutions and industrial sectors exchanged ideas on the development frontiers of electric propulsion technologies to jointly study and discuss the theoretical development and application prospects of electric propulsion technologies. Qi Faren, an academician of China Academy of Space Technology, attended the seminar.
Professor Yu Daren of School of Energy Science and Engineering in HIT presided over the opening ceremony and gave an invited speech entitled as “Magnetic Shielding Hall Thruster Technologies”. Shen Yan, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Control Engineering, Zhang Tianping, a researcher at the Lanzhou Institute of Physics, Wang Min, a researcher of the Communications Satellite Division of China Academy of Space Technology, Hang Guanrong, a senior engineer at the Shanghai Institute of Space Propulsion and Professor Yang Juan in Northwestern Polytechnical University respectively gave a report. The experts and scholars participating in the seminar were divided into eight special forums to have a full exchange of ideas around small thrusters, component design and experimental technologies, ion and Hall thrusters, high-powered electric propulsion and numerical simulation methods and other related topics. This seminar received a total of 150 contributions, and the number of participants were more than 230 people. The numbers of both contributions and participants set a new peak the highest since the Academic Seminar on Electric Propulsion Technology was first held 12 years ago.
HIT has an important influence on and makes great contributions to the theoretical and disciplinary development of electric propulsion technologies in China. In 2005, the first China Academic Seminar on Electric Propulsion Technology led by Professor Yu Daren was held in our school. In 2007, the Discipline of Electric Propulsion Technology in our school was firstly included in the Nation Defense Featured Disciplines of Shortage and obtained the qualification of degree authorization. The Discipline of Electric Propulsion Technology officially became a discipline of independent development in the field of aerospace science and technology. On November 3, 2016, the national new-generation magnetic focusing Hall electric thruster HEP-100MF jointly developed by the team of Professor Yu Daren, the Institute of Special Ceramic of School of Materials Science and Engineering and the 502 Institute of China Academy of Space Technology was adopted in the Practice 17 Satellite, which was successfully launched by carrying the Long March 5 Series Launch Vehicle in the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center of Hainan. On November 22, the thruster was successfully ignited on the geosynchronous orbit, marking the first realization of space application of the magnetic focusing Hall electric thruster at the international level. During the seminar, the Electric Propulsion Professional Committee of China Society of Astronautics was formally founded.
Academician Qi Faren said in an interview that all the landmark events in the history of electric propulsion technology in China forged an indissoluble bond with HIT, which reflected the farsightedness and responsibility of HIT as a key university featured by aerospace. This year is the 60 years of China’s aerospace industry. April 24 of the year was set up as the “China Space Day” by the State Council, aiming at inspiring all the aerospace men to remember the history, inherit the spirit, advocate science and dare to innovate, thus making new contributions to the shift of China from a major player to a major power in aerospace. With profound historical connection with the aerospace industry, HIT started early and has formed a good foundation and made outstanding achievements in the theory and application of electric propulsion technologies, especially the project of the magnetic focusing Hall electric thruster completed by the cooperation of Professor Yu Daren with the 502 Institute, which has been a model for industry-university-research cooperation, with a significant impact in the international arena. He hoped that the teachers and students of HIT could cooperate with relevant industrial sectors more actively while strengthening basic research areas and improving the ability of original innovation to make new contributions to China’s entry into the list of major powers in aerospace as early as possible.
The opening ceremony
Academician Qi Faren gave a speech.
Professor Yu Daren gave a speech.
During the conference
