Propulsion options for very low Earth orbit microsatellites

Leomanni, Mirko; Garulli, Andrea; Giannitrapani, Antonio; Scortecci, Fabrizio

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2016.11.001

Cited by 57 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…It is required to keep the maximum input magnitude in the order of 1 mm/s 2 , for the given initial condition. This value is compatible with the characteristics of missions equipped with low-thrust propulsion technologies [44,45].…”

Section: Rendezvous Case Studysupporting

confidence: 58%

A class of globally stabilizing feedback controllers for the orbital rendezvous problem

Leomanni

Bianchini

Garulli

et al. 2017

Intl J Robust & Nonlinear

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Summary The development of feedback control systems for autonomous orbital rendezvous is a key technological challenge for next‐generation space missions. This paper presents a new class of control laws for the orbital rendezvous problem. The controllers belonging to this class are guaranteed to globally asymptotically stabilize the relative dynamics of two satellites in circular or elliptic orbits. The proposed design procedure builds on control techniques for nonlinear systems in cascade form, by exploiting the geometric properties of the orbital element description of the satellite motion. A numerical simulation of a formation flying mission demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach for long‐range and low‐thrust rendezvous operations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Rendezvous Case Studysupporting

confidence: 58%

A class of globally stabilizing feedback controllers for the orbital rendezvous problem

Leomanni

Bianchini

Garulli

et al. 2017

Intl J Robust & Nonlinear

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“…Nonetheless, we assume that the changes generated by these effects can be neglected in order to simplify the modeling. Then, the mass flow going through the nozzle is given by (3). The second and third assumptions might be compensated by multiplying the mass flow rate by a discharge coefficient that can be experimentally measured for the specific device [11].…”

Section: B Vaporizing Liquid Microthruster 1) Nozzle Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A micropropulsion system is able to provide thrust in the levels from nanonewtons to micronewtons, which perfectly matches the requirements imposed by these classes of satellites. The integration of such a device into the bus of the spacecraft will represent a great technological advancement allowing them to execute precise attitude control or orbital maneuvers, thus extending the range of application of these spacecraft to include missions that involve space debris removal, orbit transfer, and so on [2], [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Model for Control of Vaporizing Liquid Microthrusters

Silva

Silvestrini

Guerrieri

et al. 2019

IEEE Trans. Contr. Syst. Technol.

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This brief presents a comprehensive approach for the modeling of micropropulsion systems based on the vaporization of a liquid. The model combines the analytical and empirical relations derived from extensive experimental analysis and fundamental physical laws. This allows modeling of key parameters, such as mass flow rate, for the entire system comprising a tank to store the liquid propellant, a valve to control the mass flow, and a microthruster that vaporizes the propellant and accelerates it generating thrust. The model is evaluated by a sensitivity analysis considering the boundaries of the modeling space, and it has been tested in a simulation loop demonstrating the attitude control of a nanosatellite using a set of four thrusters. The results of the simulation are used to test the developed model.

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“…The majority do not have a propulsion system. There have been many proposed propulsion system designs for this type of satellite [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] but most are laboratory designs and very little has been demonstrated or reported in "real" space missions. One reason for this is the many restrictions imposed on the thruster designer by the small satellite form factor with the most important ones being size (∼1/3 of the satellite volume and mass) and average power available to the payload (∼1 W).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Inductively-Coupled Plasma Electrothermal Radiofrequency Thruster

2020

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The "cubesat" form factor has been adopted as the defacto standard for a cost effective and modular, nano-satellite platform. Many commercial options exist for nearly all components required to build such satellite; however, there is a limited range of thruster options that suit the power and size restrictions of a cubesat. Based on the prior work on the "Pocket Rocket" electro-thermal capacitively-coupled radiofrequency (RF) plasma thruster operating at 13.56 MHz, a new design is proposed which is based on an inductively-coupled radiofrequency plasma system operating at 40.68 MHz. The new thruster design, including a compact and efficient radiofrequency matching network adjacent to the plasma cavity, is presented, together with the first direct thrust measurements using argon as the propellant with the thruster immersed in vacuum and attached to a calibrated thrust balance. These initial results of the unoptimized first proof of concept indicate an up to 40% instantaneous thrust gain from the plasma compared to the cold gas thrust: typical total thrust at 100 SCCM of argon and 50 W RF power is ∼1.1 mN.

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Propulsion options for very low Earth orbit microsatellites

Cited by 57 publications

References 28 publications

A class of globally stabilizing feedback controllers for the orbital rendezvous problem

A class of globally stabilizing feedback controllers for the orbital rendezvous problem

A Comprehensive Model for Control of Vaporizing Liquid Microthrusters

An Inductively-Coupled Plasma Electrothermal Radiofrequency Thruster

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