Autonomous Orbit Determination in Cislunar Space

Autonomous orbit determination could help reducing the growing load on ground-based deep space networks. For small satellites, orbit determination based solely on inter-satellite measurements could be a strong alternative for conventional ground-based navigation support. The possibilities of this autonomous orbit determination method are...

Microvibration test bench for tiny reaction wheels

Reaction wheels are often the main contributor to microvibrations on satellites. These vibrations are a source of pointing errors and therefore need to be limited as much as possible. The miniaturization trend in the space industry and universities fostered the production of very small reaction wheels, suited to Cubesat and PocketQube scales. A...

Assessing the Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour of the CORE Hinge: for the Deployable Space Telescope

The Deployable Space Telescope (DST) is a telescope that uses foldable optical elements to reach state-of-the-art ground resolutions while minimising the launch volume and total mass of the system. One of the promising concepts that is part of the DST design is the Compliant Rolling-Element (CORE) Hinge. This hinge uses compliant links to let...

Characterisation of the Dicke-Switch Chopper System and AGPM Coronagraph for the NEAR Experiment at the ESO-VLT

As part of the New Earths in the Alpha Cen Region (NEAR) experiment, VISIR, an imager and spectrometer for the mid-infrared at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory, will be soon upgraded to improve its performance in terms of high contrast and sensitivity for the detection of Earth-like planets in the Alpha...

Performance of the MEMS Vaporizing Liquid Microthruster using cold nitrogen gas as propellant: An experimental study

This thesis includes an experimental study about the performance of a third generation MEMS-VLM chip. The influence of the throat Reynolds number on the discharge factor and the nozzle quality was investigated. This was done by measuring the mass flow and thrust force for a chamber pressure range of 2-5 [bar] using nitrogen gas as propellant. It...

A technology demonstration payload for micro-resistojet thrusters on Delfi-PQ

Launch vehicle structural mass prediction model

Accurate dry mass prediction is essential in early design phases of a launch system. To predict structural mass<br/>of a launch vehicle more accurate at a conceptual design phase, a structural mass model was developed. The model<br/>predicts a launch vehicle’s structural mass, thickness, center of mass and mass moment of inertia. Load carrying...

Design of an Aberration Correction System for a Deployable Space Telescope

Launch costs for high-resolution space telescopes for Earth observation can be reduced when the telescope mirrors are made deployable. However, such a system is subject to optical aberrations that decreases image quality. To counter these aberrations, an Aberration Correction System (ACS) is proposed that uses a deformable mirror (DM) which is...

RF-Bracket Design: Mass reduction of a mechanical bracket by redesigning the bracket without compromising on thermal, structural and EMC aspects

This thesis shows the mass reduction of a mechanical bracket, without compromising on thermal, EMC and structural aspects. The focus was on analysing thermal aspects related to bracket design. Models were made to show the deflection and solder layer stresses due to CTE mismatches between the bracket and PCB. A thermal heat transfer model was...

Ready for detection: Stair-detecting in depth images using spatial features and Adaboosting

Space exploration could be significantly aided by combining the disciplines of machine learning and computer vision, but these disciplines need to be developed further for specific space-related applications to have merit. One of the applications for space exploration is the detection of certain structures designating areas of interest. This...

Spray Characteristics in Gas / Liquid Pintle Injection

In Liquid Rocket Engine (LRE) design, knowledge of how the propellant atomization quality varies with respect to some injector design variables would be useful in predicting LRE performance. Three spray characteristics were chosen as a measure of Atomization quality: the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), the drop size distribution, and the cone angle....

Thermal Modelling and Thermal Control Optimisation of the mN-μHEMPT

Airbus Friedrichshafen is working on the development of a milliNewton HEMPT (High Efficiency<br/>Multistage Plasma Thruster): an electrostatic thruster concept suitable for small satellite<br/>propulsion. An engineering model, the mN-μHEMPT, has been built and tested in vacuum,<br/>generating thrust levels in the range of 1 to 5 mN. Although the...