Abstract
This article considers operational dynamics of a solar thermal propulsion unit (STPU) with a solar energy concentrator for CubeSat nanosatellites. It was shown that for a 6U CubeSat with a 1U propulsion system, a resulting ΔV of more than 35 m/s in less than 24 h is possible. This ΔV is enough to move apart two satellites to opposite points of a 600 km circular orbit in less than 5 days. An original scheme of the engine with a capillary feeder system and a Fresnel lens as the solar energy concentrator is proposed. A simplified mathematical model of the engine was created to make it possible to calculate hundreds of thruster operating cycles with different parameters in the chamber. The ODEs were numerically integrated using the Matlab-Simulink software package.
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