Session
Technical Session 11: Propulsion
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
The successful operation of the HYDROS® propulsion system on NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstration (PTD)-1 mission is the first flight demonstration of a water electrolysis thruster. This hybrid electrical/chemical propulsion system was launched in January 2021 on PTD-1, and testing of the HYDROS propulsion system was carried out over the first half of 2021. HYDROS electrolyzes liquid water into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen, which are then combusted in a bipropellant rocket nozzle. The PTD-1 flight demonstration characterized the performance by performing a series of thrust events at varying operational parameters. The results show that this system delivers a relatively high thrust compared to electric propulsion and high specific impulse compared to a typical monopropellant thruster. The HYDROS propulsion system addresses a growing mission need for high maneuverability spacecraft. With the success of the on-orbit demonstration, HYDROS increases the practicality of using liquid water as the primary fuel and feasibility of refueling using resources commonly found in the solar system.
Document Type
Event
Flight Qualification of a Water Electrolysis Propulsion System
Utah State University, Logan, UT
The successful operation of the HYDROS® propulsion system on NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstration (PTD)-1 mission is the first flight demonstration of a water electrolysis thruster. This hybrid electrical/chemical propulsion system was launched in January 2021 on PTD-1, and testing of the HYDROS propulsion system was carried out over the first half of 2021. HYDROS electrolyzes liquid water into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen, which are then combusted in a bipropellant rocket nozzle. The PTD-1 flight demonstration characterized the performance by performing a series of thrust events at varying operational parameters. The results show that this system delivers a relatively high thrust compared to electric propulsion and high specific impulse compared to a typical monopropellant thruster. The HYDROS propulsion system addresses a growing mission need for high maneuverability spacecraft. With the success of the on-orbit demonstration, HYDROS increases the practicality of using liquid water as the primary fuel and feasibility of refueling using resources commonly found in the solar system.
