Project Svarog Soars to New Heights With Ansys Simulation

We have all seen videos and images of rockets at liftoff, ascending into space as plumes of fire and smoke trail behind them. This is the image we conjure when we think of traveling to space, and it's been the standard method of space travel for decades. However, once in orbit, the rocket relies on a limited amount of fuel to complete its mission. There’s no denying that many things can go wrong in space. With that in mind, what if a more sustainable mode of space transportation could be developed?

Imperial College Space Team

Project Svarog, named for the Slavic god of fire and sky, is a student team from Imperial College London with the goal of becoming the first student team to send a spacecraft outside the solar system. To achieve this, the team has chosen to further advance solar sail technology.

Solar sails are a unique method of space exploration that is not yet widely used. A solar sail does not require a propulsion mechanism or fuel. Instead, it uses the solar radiation pressure of light particles (photons) from the Sun. It travels through space by harnessing this free energy, much like how a sailboat uses the wind to propel itself. The reflective surface of a solar sail and its ability to swivel allow it to capture the maximum amount of light based on its position. As a result, this method of space travel is significantly more sustainable and reliable.

The team aims to utilize a specific solar sailing trajectory known as sun diving to depart from our solar system. Sun diving refers to the act of approaching the sun very closely, diving into its rays. By harnessing the intense solar radiation pressure, the object involved can experience significant acceleration. This allows it to spiral away from the sun, effectively raising its apogee at a much faster rate.

The team was founded in 2021 as part of the Imperial College Space Society. “Today, Project Svarog has approximately 25 active members, all of whom are Imperial College students. By the nature of their degree, they can only really stay with the project a couple of years before they graduate,” says second-year doctorate student Matthew Acevski, the team’s mission leader. Through these changes, the project leads ensure continuous progress in all areas by consistently recruiting and replenishing sub-teams.

Despite the rotation of students, the team has not lost sight of its goal: getting to space. “We’d love to do it in the next six to eight years,” says Acevski.

Project Svarog Joins With REXUS/BEXUS

The team has participated in one full REXUS/BEXUS campaign (2023-2024). The team was accepted again for the current 2024-2025 campaign with the goal of developing all of their subsystems into a fully functional CubeSat. The program involves sending student-designed experiments into the far reaches of the atmosphere in either a rocket (REXUS) or weather balloon (BEXUS). The program is a joint effort between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA) in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) that seeks to further scientific research through the use of rockets and balloons.

The team launched their preliminary design on the BEXUS balloon, approximately 30 km above the Earth’s surface, into low Earth orbit (LEO), for data collection. During the balloon’s flight, which can last anywhere from three to five hours in total, the team was able to conduct experiments in near-space conditions with low atmospheric pressure.

Journeying to Space With Simulation

Throughout the project, the consistent use of simulation has been a key element in successfully researching and developing the solar sail. The team members use Ansys tools for mechanical simulations and their plan is to increase the use of simulation as the project progresses.

“We utilized Ansys Mechanical via Workbench to perform critical launch environment simulations, including modal, quasi-static, random vibration, and shock analyses,” says Golf Rojnuckarin, head of structures simulations with Project Svarog. “A key advantage of Ansys Workbench was its seamless integration capabilities. This allowed us to efficiently combine and manage various load cases, such as superimposing random vibration with quasi-static loads, significantly streamlining our workflow. The integration with Ansys Granta also provided immediate access to an extensive material database, which are properties specific to our needs.”

The Project Svarog team will continue to harness the capabilities of Ansys simulation software to model and test the solar sail's structural, mechanical, and fluid characteristics as they get closer to launching into space.

Project Svarog’s vision to be the first student team to send a spacecraft to the edge of the solar system is taking shape as the team inches closer to launching their solar sail into orbit. “We hope that in the coming years, the cumulative experience of all of our many experiments and missions can lead to the development of truly innovative and new improvements in solar sailing technology, which can be utilized in future space missions around the world,” says Acevski.

As the team makes significant strides in the space industry, they inspire others to see solar sailing as a viable alternative to long-duration space missions. Through their collaborative efforts with leading European space agencies, their goal is becoming a reality.

Explore an Ansys Student Team Partnership and learn how you can access Ansys software for free today.

Learn more about how simulation is used in the space sector by watching our Simulating Space documentary.