Session
Weekday Session 6: Orbital Debris, SSA & STM/Propulsion
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Huntsville, AL is home to Plasma Processes, a materials company that creates high temperature material solutions for aerospace and defense applications. Their capabilities include several thermal spray coating techniques, near-net shape refractory metal fabrication, and an array of government and commercial customer entities. A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract received in 2016 pushed the development of Plasma's first fully integrated thruster assembly using component processes for thrust chambers, injector heads, and high temperature parts that Plasma creates daily for various entities. The thruster assembly used the ASCENT, or AF-M315E, propellant, which was first demonstrated on the Green Propulsion Infusion Mission (GPIM) that featured thrust chambers made by Plasma Processes. Plasma's SBIR thruster assembly gained the attention of a NASA flight project after demonstrating the viability of the thruster. In 2021, twelve thrusters were delivered to the Lunar Flashlight mission, of which four thrusters launched in December 2022.
The successful development of the 0.1N thruster thruster was a catalyst for new developments and growth. Rubicon Space Systems, a division of Plasma Processes LLC, was formed in mid-2022 to become the premiere manufacturer of ASCENT thrusters and propulsion systems.
In development since early 2022, the Sprite propulsion system is a 1.5U fully enclosed, plug-and-play solution for SmallSats. Sprite targets missions in need of space propulsion collision avoidance, and de-orbit capabilities while providing over 1200 Ns of total impulse, the equivalent of 100 m/s of delta V to a 12U CubeSat. The system utillizes the green monopropellant ASCENT, or AF-M315E, to improve system performance and reduce propellant handling costs when compared to other industry-standard monopropellants. Sprite features a flight qualified 0.1N with space heritage, a fully integrated flight controller, heritage components such as valves that have been demonstrated on previous missions, and a fully additively manufactured structure. Commands and telemetry are transmitted over RS-422 to the spacecraft, and RS-485 communication allows up to 8 modules to be networked together for systems that require multiple thrusters. The Sprite propulsion system passed its Critical Design Review (CDR) in December 2022 and its first four engineering development units (EDUs) are expected to complete qualification efforts in Q3 2023. A Protoflight article will be delivered to NASA in Q1 of 2024.
Sprite, A Modular Template of In-Space Propulsion
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Huntsville, AL is home to Plasma Processes, a materials company that creates high temperature material solutions for aerospace and defense applications. Their capabilities include several thermal spray coating techniques, near-net shape refractory metal fabrication, and an array of government and commercial customer entities. A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract received in 2016 pushed the development of Plasma's first fully integrated thruster assembly using component processes for thrust chambers, injector heads, and high temperature parts that Plasma creates daily for various entities. The thruster assembly used the ASCENT, or AF-M315E, propellant, which was first demonstrated on the Green Propulsion Infusion Mission (GPIM) that featured thrust chambers made by Plasma Processes. Plasma's SBIR thruster assembly gained the attention of a NASA flight project after demonstrating the viability of the thruster. In 2021, twelve thrusters were delivered to the Lunar Flashlight mission, of which four thrusters launched in December 2022.
The successful development of the 0.1N thruster thruster was a catalyst for new developments and growth. Rubicon Space Systems, a division of Plasma Processes LLC, was formed in mid-2022 to become the premiere manufacturer of ASCENT thrusters and propulsion systems.
In development since early 2022, the Sprite propulsion system is a 1.5U fully enclosed, plug-and-play solution for SmallSats. Sprite targets missions in need of space propulsion collision avoidance, and de-orbit capabilities while providing over 1200 Ns of total impulse, the equivalent of 100 m/s of delta V to a 12U CubeSat. The system utillizes the green monopropellant ASCENT, or AF-M315E, to improve system performance and reduce propellant handling costs when compared to other industry-standard monopropellants. Sprite features a flight qualified 0.1N with space heritage, a fully integrated flight controller, heritage components such as valves that have been demonstrated on previous missions, and a fully additively manufactured structure. Commands and telemetry are transmitted over RS-422 to the spacecraft, and RS-485 communication allows up to 8 modules to be networked together for systems that require multiple thrusters. The Sprite propulsion system passed its Critical Design Review (CDR) in December 2022 and its first four engineering development units (EDUs) are expected to complete qualification efforts in Q3 2023. A Protoflight article will be delivered to NASA in Q1 of 2024.
