Overview of United States Rocket Propulsion Technology and Associated Space Transportation Systems

Abstract

The space propulsion industry and, indeed, the overall space transportation industry in the United States have been in decline since the first human landing on the moon in 1969. The hoped-for reversal to this decline through the space shuttle and space station programs never really materialized. From an 80% market share in the late 1970s, the U.S. share of the world launch market fell to 20% by 2002. During that period, only two new booster engines have been developed and flight certified in this country. Only limited progress has been made in reducing engine costs or increasing performance although these factors are not necessarily directly related. Upper-stage and in-space propulsion in the United States have not fared much better in the world market. On the other hand, space-faring nations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the former Soviet Union are believed to have developed 40-50 new, high-performance engines over the same period. This trend will have to be reversed to enable future exploration missions. The intent of this paper is to summarize past propulsion-system development, assess the current status of U.S. space propulsion, survey future options, evaluate potential impact of ultra low-cost, small launch-vehicle programs, and discuss some future propulsion needs for space exploration.

Thrust Performance of a Low Power Hall Thruster

“…Therefore, there were and will be many missions using the Hall thruster 4) , e.g., SMART-1 lunar mission 5) , MBSAT, and Lockheed-Martin Space Systems GEO satellites 6) . The demand for mN class miniature propulsion systems for small satellites is expected to grow in the future.…”

Thrust Evaluation of an Arcjet Thruster Using Dimethyl Ether as a Propellant

“…MR-510, a hydrazine arcjet thruster manufactured by Aerojet, yielded a specific impulse of 580 s with a discharge power of 2.2 kW. 6) On the other hand, hydrazine has a freezing point of 1 C and still requires temperature management. Materials for tanks and tubes should be compatible with hydrazine due to the strong reactivity.…”

Performance Characteristics of a DME Propellant Arcjet Thruster

“…Because the decomposed gas has a relatively low molecular weight, a hydrazine arcjet thruster provides a comparatively high specific impulse. MR-510, a thruster of this type manufactured by Aerojet, yielded a specific impulse of 580 s with a discharge power of 2.2 kW 6) . Hydrazine can be stored in a liquid state without cryogenic device.…”