Walter Santiago

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About

Walter Santiago is a leading figure in advanced space propulsion, specializing in high-power solar electric propulsion systems for deep-space exploration. His work has been instrumental in developing the ion propulsion technology that will power NASA’s most ambitious missions. Santiago’s most cited paper, “The Ion Propulsion System for the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission” (2016, 20 citations), details the propulsion architecture for a landmark mission designed to demonstrate high-power solar electric capability and return asteroidal material for study. He further advanced the field with “Overview of the Development and Mission Application of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS)” (2018, 14 citations), which describes the development of a 14 kW thruster system—a critical step toward enabling cargo missions to Mars and beyond. Santiago’s contributions are foundational to NASA’s strategy for sustainable, long-duration spaceflight, directly impacting the design of next-generation exploration vehicles. His work on the AEPS, which completed an early integrated system test, positions him as a key architect of the propulsion systems that will drive humanity’s return to the Moon and eventual journey to Mars.