Joint AdvaNced PropUlsion InStitute (JANUS) Holds Annual Meeting at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL — July 31, 2025 — The Joint AdvaNced PropUlsion InStitute (JANUS), a NASA Space Technology Research Institute (STRI), convened its Annual Meeting on July 29–30, 2025, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The two-day event brought together leading experts in electric propulsion (EP) from across the country, including faculty, post-doctoral researchers, research engineers, graduate students, representatives from NASA centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Space Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the JANUS Industry Advisory Board.
The meeting served as a platform for participants to share cutting-edge research, recent results, and strategic planning for the next phase of EP development. Discussions covered critical advancements across multiple thrust areas, and highlighted the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in pushing the boundaries of electric propulsion.
“This event continues to demonstrate the strength of JANUS’s collaborative framework,” said Dr. Mitchell Walker, JANUS Director. “We’re seeing breakthroughs that are moving the field into truly uncharted territory.”
Looking ahead, JANUS is poised to play a leading role in shaping the future of high-power electric propulsion. In the coming year, the institute will lay the groundwork for testing 100kW-class thrusters—an essential step toward enabling ambitious future missions in deep space exploration.
JANUS is one of NASA’s premier Space Technology Research Institutes, supporting foundational research that accelerates the development of next-generation propulsion systems to meet the agency’s long-term exploration goals.
JANUS presents posters at the IEPC 2025 Poster Session
On the evening of Monday, September 15, 2025, at the Natural History Museum in London JANUS will be presenting several posters. At the IEPC 2025 poster exhibit event. A list of posters will be added here later this year. If you are attending IEPC please stop by the JANUS designated area. If you want additional information on the JANUS posters, please email tanya.krawiec@gatech.edu.
JANUS at SciTech 2025
Members of JANUS will be attending and presenting posters and technical talks at the AIAA SciTech 2025 conference in Orlando, Florida January 6-10. The exclusive poster session on January 8th will showcase the NASA-supported research being conducted by JANUS. Faculty and student researchers will be present to discuss the diverse range of activities and projects being undertaken across the Institute. The session will be an excellent opportunity to delve into the latest advancements and innovations in propulsion technology. The event promises to be a valuable platform for networking, learning, and engaging with some of the brightest minds in the field. Link to invitation and JANUS related talks
JANUS at IEPC 2024
Members of The JANUS Institute will be attending the International Electric Propulsion Conference (IEPC) from June 23-28 in Toulouse, France. Along with several technical presentations 12 posters have been accepted and will be presented. List of posters.
JANUS at SciTech 2024
Members of JANUS will be presenting posters and technical talks at the AIAA SciTech 2024 conference in Orlando, Florida January 8-12th. We will host a JANUS poster Session on Wednesday, January 10th from 5:45 to 7:15. The poster session will showcase the NASA-supported research being conducted by JANUS. Link to Poster Session Invitation Link for JANUS Talks
JANUS Monthly Meetings
The JANUS Institute holds monthly membership meetings the third Thursday of every month. A featured speaker and a Lightning talk are part of each meeting. The featured speakers are JANUS PI's or guests from Industry and Academia. JANUS students present the lightning talks.
Every few years, NASA creates Space Technology Research Institutes (STRI) in areas it believes are going to be strategic for future technology and space missions.
UCLA Samueli School of Engineering professor Richard Wirz, a veteran researcher in space propulsion technologies, is leading the modeling and integration team for a recently established five-year,
The Joint Advanced Propulsion Institute (JANUS) is a newly established university-led NASA Space Technology Research Institute.