Abstract
This study focused on the development of a chemical micropropulsion system suitable for primary propulsion and/or attitude control for a nanosatellite. Due to the limitations and expense of current micropropulsion technologies, few nanosatellites with propulsion have been launched to date; however, the availability of such a propulsion system would allow for new nanosatellite mission concepts, such as deep space exploration, maneuvering in low gravity environments and formation flying. This work describes the design of “dual mode” monopropellant/bipropellant microthruster prototype that employs a novel homogeneous catalysis scheme. Results from prototype testing are reported that validate the concept. The micropropulsion system is designed to be fabricated using a combination of additively-manufactured and commercial off the shelf (COTS) parts along with non-toxic fuels, thus making it a low-cost and environmentally-friendly option for future nanosatellite missions.
Highlights
Generation small satellites, known as nanosats, have masses significantly lower than standard satellites, often in the range of 1–10 kg
Liquid propulsion systems are of particular interest both as primary propulsion and attitude control thrusters, as demonstrated by recent efforts such as the University of Vermont Discrete Monopropellant Microthruster [10] and the ESA-sponsored PRECISE project [11], which both use the catalyzed decomposition of a monopropellant to generate thrust
The thruster system outlined in this paper is a novel solution to providing attitude control and primary propulsion for the CubeSat platform at low cost
Summary
Known as nanosats, have masses significantly lower than standard satellites, often in the range of 1–10 kg. Liquid propulsion systems are of particular interest both as primary propulsion and attitude control thrusters, as demonstrated by recent efforts such as the University of Vermont Discrete Monopropellant Microthruster [10] and the ESA-sponsored PRECISE project [11], which both use the catalyzed decomposition of a monopropellant to generate thrust Each of these thruster initiatives, has reported challenges associated with the performance of the catalytic chamber due to scaling effects. In contrast implementing this design on the miniaturized scale associated with small satellites is inherently problematic due to the lack of flow mixing at the low Reynolds numbers and the emergence of capillary and surface wetting effects In this sense, our implementation represents a new development in spacecraft propulsion. This article describes the selection of the fuel/catalyst combination (in both monopropellant and bipropellant operation), development of the monopropellant attitude control thrusters, and development of the dual-mode primary divert thrusters
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