Journal of Electric Propulsion - About the Editors

Benjamin Jorns
Assistant Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering
University of Michigan, USA

Benjamin Jorns is an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan and co-director of the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory.  His research focuses on laser-based plasma diagnostics, nonlinear wave interactions, low-temperature plasma turbulence, and data-driven modeling of low temperature plasmas.  He also recently has been investigating novel methods for in-space propulsion including field-reversed configuration thrusters, magnetic nozzles, and high-power Hall thrusters.  Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Michigan, Prof. Jorns was a technologist in the electric propulsion group at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 2012-2016.  He received his doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University in 2012.  Prof. Jorns is an associate fellow of the AIAA and was awarded the 2021 AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award in recognition of his work on electric propulsion.
 

Stéphane Mazouffre
Research Director
ICARE laboratory, CNRS
Orléans, France

Stéphane Mazouffre received his PhD in low-temperature plasma physics in 2001 from the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. His research activities in plasma propulsion for spacecraft began in 2003 after he joined the ICARE laboratory. His research interests cover Hall thrusters and variants, new electric propulsion concepts, hybrid propulsion and micropropulsion. He is especially recognized for the application of laser-aided diagnostics to the field. Prof. Mazouffre was a recipient of the Bronze Medal of the French National Research Center in 2008. In Winter 2021, he received the Edmond Brun prize of the French Academy of Sciences for his pathfinder works in electric thruster miniaturization.
 

Hirokazu Tahara
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Osaka Sangyo University, Japan

Hirokazu Tahara received his PhD in Engineering from the Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University in 1988. He became Research Associate in Osaka University in 1988 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1994. During Feb-Oct 2000 he was Visiting Associate Professor in Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became Professor at Osaka Institute of Technology (OIT) in 2007, and during 2008-2010 he was also Visiting Professor at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Furthermore, he was Project Manager on PROITERES Nano-Satellite R&D Project at OIT in 2007-2020, in which the 1st PROITERES nano-satellite (size: 300mm cube; mass: 14.5kg) with pulsed plasma thrusters for orbital transfer was successfully launched by Indian PSLV-21 rocket on Sep 9, 2012. After that he changed from OIT to Osaka Sangyo University (OSU) in 2020. Prof. Tahara’s recent research works include 1) R&D of 5-10 kW TAL/SPT-types Hall thrusters and steady-state applied magnetic-field MPD thrusters for In-Space propulsion; 2) R&D of low-power DC arcjet thrusters with non-toxicity propellants for near-earth missions and high-power DC arcjet thrusters with hydrogen and ammonia propellants for In-Space propulsion; 3) R&D of electrothermal pulsed plasma thruster systems for powered flight of small/nano-satellites; 4) launch project of small/nano-satellites with electric thrusters; 5) research on deorbit of space debris by electric thrusters; and 6) research on plasma environment around spacecraft and interaction between space plasma or thruster plumes and spacecraft, and study on material degradation in space.