Session
Session 2: Advanced Technologies 1
Abstract
An additively manufactured hybrid rocket thruster system has been developed to provide CubeSats with safe and efficient in-space maneuverability. To date, over 650 CubeSats have been launched via rideshare to varying degrees of operational success, and the numbers are increasing yearly. No system is currently available that can support large, impulsive maneuvers that would expand CubeSat mission capabilities and mitigate the space debris generated by the small spacecraft. To provide a solution, hybrid rocket technology developed at Utah State University has been reworked into four Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene thrusters 3D printed into a 2U CubeSat form factor consumable structure. The system has restart capabilities, non-hazardous propellants, and a simple configuration. The ABS/GOX thruster system is expected to have a vacuum specific impulse greater than 280 seconds and be capable of producing over 90 m/s of ΔV for a 4 kg, 3U CubeSat. The provided amount of ΔV is estimated to be sufficient to deorbit the 3U CubeSat in less than 25 years from a maximum initial altitude of 700 km. Hydrostatic testing has been successfully completed on the additively manufactured motor case, and hot-fire testing is expected to confirm performance estimates.
Presentation
Consumable Spacecraft Structure with 3-D Printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Hybrid Rocket Thrusters
An additively manufactured hybrid rocket thruster system has been developed to provide CubeSats with safe and efficient in-space maneuverability. To date, over 650 CubeSats have been launched via rideshare to varying degrees of operational success, and the numbers are increasing yearly. No system is currently available that can support large, impulsive maneuvers that would expand CubeSat mission capabilities and mitigate the space debris generated by the small spacecraft. To provide a solution, hybrid rocket technology developed at Utah State University has been reworked into four Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene thrusters 3D printed into a 2U CubeSat form factor consumable structure. The system has restart capabilities, non-hazardous propellants, and a simple configuration. The ABS/GOX thruster system is expected to have a vacuum specific impulse greater than 280 seconds and be capable of producing over 90 m/s of ΔV for a 4 kg, 3U CubeSat. The provided amount of ΔV is estimated to be sufficient to deorbit the 3U CubeSat in less than 25 years from a maximum initial altitude of 700 km. Hydrostatic testing has been successfully completed on the additively manufactured motor case, and hot-fire testing is expected to confirm performance estimates.
