Chemical and cold gas propulsion systems

This chapter discusses the current status of chemical and cold gas micro-propulsion systems for small satellites, with a particular focus on CubeSats. Initially, a short historical background is presented, focusing specifically on the precursor cold gas systems developed and demonstrated on small spacecraft in the decade 2000-10. A brief...

On the Design of a Propulsion System for the Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer (LUMIO)

LUMIO is a 12U CubeSat destined for a halo orbit around the Earth-Moon L2 point, requiring 203 m/s of delta V for orbital transfer, station-keeping and disposal manoeuvres, to be delivered by its Main Propulsion System (MPS). A total impulse of 170 N-s is required to be delivered by its Reaction Control System (RCS) for de-tumbling and reaction...

Designing and optimizing an aerospike micro-nozzle for the sub-mN range: A numerical study

Micro-propulsion technology is under rapid development and considerably extends the mission capabilities of small spacecraft. However, the flow in conventional nozzles on a microscale is relatively viscous, which, combined with the bounding nozzle walls, leads to low efficiencies. Aerospike nozzles, on the other hand, offer...

Selection of the Propulsion System for the LUMIO Mission: an Intricate Trade-Off Between Cost, Reliability and Performance

The Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer (LUMIO), one of the two winning concepts of the SysNova Lunar CubeSats for Exploration call by ESA, is a mission designed to observe, quantify, and characterize the meteoroid impacts on the Lunar far side by detecting the flashes generated by the impact. While Earth-based Lunar observations are restricted by...

Designing the Radio Link for a Lunar CubeSat: the LUMIO Case

The Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer (LUMIO) is a mission designed to observe, quantify, and characterize the meteoroid impacts by detecting their flashes on the lunar far side. Earth-based lunar observations are restricted by weather, geometric and illumination conditions, while a lunar orbiter can improve the detection rate of lunar meteoroid...

Conception, design and evaluation of a self-pressurizing propulsion storage module for a PocketQube-class satellite using compliant mechanisms

The advent of miniaturized satellites has sparked an interest in effective methods of exploiting their capabilities. Potential has been found in propulsion­enabled units, and TU Delft is at the forefront of researching and developing suitable propulsion modules for thrust generation or attitude control of small satellites classified as Cubesats...

Design and Verification of Delfi-PQ Satellite Propulsion Sub-system: Experimental Analysis and Design Improvements of the Technology Demonstration Payload for Micro-Thrusters

AE faculty at TU Delft is currently developing a PocketQube satellite under the name of Delfi-PQ. Following the previous study, performed on a high level systems engineering on Delfi-PQ propulsion sub-system, there is a need to verify the propulsion sub-system's design, its final operational envelope values, and propulsion sub-system's...

The low-pressure micro-resistojet: Modelling and optimization for future nano- and pico-satellites

The aerospace industry is recently experiencing growing interest in very small spacecraft like nano- and pico-satellites. However, these very small satellites are still being developed in most cases without a dedicated propulsion system limiting their capabilities. The micro-resistojet has been recognized as a suitable propulsion system for...

Closed-loop Thrust Magnitude Control System for Nano- and Pico-Satellite Applications

The growing needs of nano- and pico-satellite missions require several enhancements in micro-propulsion capabilities to enable the satellites to perform an increasing variety of orbital maneuvers. Among them, the possibility to accurately control the thrust would open up new scenarios for nano- and pico-satellites applicability to include, for...

Thermoelectric harvesting for an autonomous self-powered temperature sensor in small satellites

There are several benefits of using autonomous sensors in spacecraft. Avoidance of wired connections reduces cost, mass, and increases the flexibility and reliability of the system. The impact of wire reduction can be significant, especially for small satellites with many sensors, like temperature and sun sensors. Previous research has already...

Solar Concentrator Demonstrator for PocketQubes

Deployable systems for small satellites appear as an innovative solution to enhance the performance capabilities and enlarge the mission range of this category of spacecraft. Embedded within the research line in Solar Thermal Propulsion and the new mission Delfi-PQ, this project tackles the design, analysis, production and testing of a solar...

Green micro-resistojet research at Delft University of Technology: the new frontiers of Cubesat propulsion

The aerospace industry is recently expressing a growing interest in green, safe and non-toxic propellants for the propulsion systems of the new generation of space vehicles, which is especially true in the case of Cubesat micro-propulsion systems. Demanding requirements are associated to the future missions and challenges offered by this class...

Design, Verification and Validation of a Micropropulsion Thrust Stand

At the chair of Space Systems Engineering, students and staff work on the development of small propulsion systems in a wide thrust capability. Especially in recent years low thrust propulsion systems have gained an increased amount of interest in the entire department of Space Engineering. To support the development of these propulsion systems,...

Design, Simulation and Optimisation of a Low-Pressure Micro-Resistojet for Small Satellite Missions

Incorporating propulsion in small satellites is becoming a growing trend, due to its potential for enabling new and ambitious mission objectives. One of these objectives is formation flying, that will be pursued by TU Delft for the DelFFi mission as part of the larger QB50 project. For DelFFi, two identical spacecraft will use propulsion to...

MEMS monocrystalline-silicon based thermal devices for chemical and microfluidic applications

This thesis explores the employment of monocrystalline silicon in microsystems as an active material for different thermal functions, such as heat generation and heat transfer by conduction. In chapter 1 applications that need thermal micro devices, micro heaters and micro heat exchangers, are briefly introduced. The shortcomings of commonly...