Cold gas microthruster

Cold gas microthruster

How Cheah, Kean (University of Nottingham Ningbo China)
Ganani, Chaggai (Student TU Delft)
Lemmer, Kristina (Western Michigan University)
Cervone, A. (TU Delft Space Systems Egineering)

2022

This chapter covers the development of cold gas microthruster, which is widely regarded as the simplest way of generating thrust in space, for nanosatellites. A brief background and principles of operation were given, followed by the introduction of nozzle theory that could be used in the preliminary estimation of microthruster performance and considerations in selecting a suitable propellant. The current state of development in cold gas microthruster (at the time of writing in 2020) was provided, from its first use in SNAP-1 in 2000 to another 12 nanosatellites as well as one technology demonstration mission in Prototype Research Instruments and Space Mission technology Advancement small satellite. The chapter ends with a discussion on future nanosatellite missions that will feature a cold gas microthruster system and the challenges, such as fabrication of micronozzle and its design optimization, to improve overall efficiency.

Cold gas
CubeSat
MEMS
Micronozzle
Microthruster

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:dfccf85e-0faa-49ae-aa13-c1736cce23c9

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819037-1.00006-2

Elsevier

2023-07-01

9780128190388

Space Micropropulsion for Nanosatellites: Progress, Challenges and Future

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

book chapter

© 2022 Kean How Cheah, Chaggai Ganani, Kristina Lemmer, A. Cervone