Abstract
Amateur rocket launches are unable to reach heights much above 30 km due to the high drag of the dense lower atmosphere. Using a balloon to rise to an altitude of 30 km before launching is one means to increase a rockets range. An overview of the concept and a summary of the launch history for the University of Washington rockoon (rocket / balloon) program are given. Such a system will be capable of providing an inexpensive and reduced complexity launch method for student projects. Additionally, the university has recently opened a CubeSAT laboratory to give students hands-on experience with satellite hardware. Once in orbit, CubeSAT missions are limited, in part, due to an inability of low power thrusters to offset atmospheric drag. Recent results show that a coaxial sulfur-fuel Pulsed Plasma Thruster can provide a impulse/energy ratio of 20 mN/kW from a 10 J discharge, double of what a similar geometry Teflon variant is capable of. This increase in performance can provide CubeSATs the propulsion necessary for station-keeping in orbit. With launches planned over the next five years, the University of Washington aims to launch a 3U CubeSAT from a rockoon on a suborbital flight as a student project.
Poster
Development of a Rockoon Launch Platform and a Sulfur Fuel Pulsed Plasma Thruster CubeSAT
Amateur rocket launches are unable to reach heights much above 30 km due to the high drag of the dense lower atmosphere. Using a balloon to rise to an altitude of 30 km before launching is one means to increase a rockets range. An overview of the concept and a summary of the launch history for the University of Washington rockoon (rocket / balloon) program are given. Such a system will be capable of providing an inexpensive and reduced complexity launch method for student projects. Additionally, the university has recently opened a CubeSAT laboratory to give students hands-on experience with satellite hardware. Once in orbit, CubeSAT missions are limited, in part, due to an inability of low power thrusters to offset atmospheric drag. Recent results show that a coaxial sulfur-fuel Pulsed Plasma Thruster can provide a impulse/energy ratio of 20 mN/kW from a 10 J discharge, double of what a similar geometry Teflon variant is capable of. This increase in performance can provide CubeSATs the propulsion necessary for station-keeping in orbit. With launches planned over the next five years, the University of Washington aims to launch a 3U CubeSAT from a rockoon on a suborbital flight as a student project.
