TY - GEN
T1 - Design of interplanetary hybrid cubesat and smallsat propulsion systems
AU - Jens, Elizabeth T.
AU - Karp, Ashley C.
AU - Rabinovitch, Jason
AU - Nakazono, Barry
AU - Conte, Antonietta
AU - Vaughan, David A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Adoption of CubeSat technology is dramatically reducing the cost of entrance to space and broadening the participant base. Miniaturization of electronics and the development of small-scale components has allowed these small spacecraft to be developed into meaningful tools for science and technology. However, these small spacecraft have primarily been constrained to LEO due to a lack of viable small-scale propulsion systems. Stand-alone interplanetary CubeSat and SmallSat mission concepts require small propulsion systems capable of providing attitude control and completing relatively large ∆V maneuvers such as to achieve orbit insertion and orbit clean-up. There is currently no off-the-shelf propulsion system capable of delivering the impulse required for orbit insertion around another planet whilst fitting within the CubeSat form factor. It is assumed that standalone interplanetary CubeSats and SmallSats will be jettisoned shortly after receiving the required C3 (exit velocity from earth) to travel to the destination planet. Since these small spacecraft will be launched as a secondary payload on a high priority mission, any hazard introduced by the propulsion system must be mitigated. Propellant selection is a key factor that defines a propulsion system’s criticality to hazards such as leakage, explosive yield, fire, and pressure. Hybrid motors are well suited to this application as they have high performance and are inherently safe, due to the physical distance and phase separation of the fuel and oxidizer. In this paper the designs of two propulsion systems using a hybrid rocket motor are presented for a 12 U CubeSat and a 100 kg SmallSat. These designs are informed by recent test data. A discussion of the performance of these systems compared to alternative propulsion concepts is provided. The sensitivity of the designs to the various design assumptions is described along with a discussion of the steps required to progress this technology towards a flight demonstration.
AB - Adoption of CubeSat technology is dramatically reducing the cost of entrance to space and broadening the participant base. Miniaturization of electronics and the development of small-scale components has allowed these small spacecraft to be developed into meaningful tools for science and technology. However, these small spacecraft have primarily been constrained to LEO due to a lack of viable small-scale propulsion systems. Stand-alone interplanetary CubeSat and SmallSat mission concepts require small propulsion systems capable of providing attitude control and completing relatively large ∆V maneuvers such as to achieve orbit insertion and orbit clean-up. There is currently no off-the-shelf propulsion system capable of delivering the impulse required for orbit insertion around another planet whilst fitting within the CubeSat form factor. It is assumed that standalone interplanetary CubeSats and SmallSats will be jettisoned shortly after receiving the required C3 (exit velocity from earth) to travel to the destination planet. Since these small spacecraft will be launched as a secondary payload on a high priority mission, any hazard introduced by the propulsion system must be mitigated. Propellant selection is a key factor that defines a propulsion system’s criticality to hazards such as leakage, explosive yield, fire, and pressure. Hybrid motors are well suited to this application as they have high performance and are inherently safe, due to the physical distance and phase separation of the fuel and oxidizer. In this paper the designs of two propulsion systems using a hybrid rocket motor are presented for a 12 U CubeSat and a 100 kg SmallSat. These designs are informed by recent test data. A discussion of the performance of these systems compared to alternative propulsion concepts is provided. The sensitivity of the designs to the various design assumptions is described along with a discussion of the steps required to progress this technology towards a flight demonstration.
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U2 - 10.2514/6.2018-4668
DO - 10.2514/6.2018-4668
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85065401554
SN - 9781624105708
T3 - 2018 Joint Propulsion Conference
BT - 2018 Joint Propulsion Conference
T2 - 54th AIAA/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference, 2018
Y2 - 9 July 2018 through 11 July 2018
ER -