CAIRN ENGINEERING LLC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: Z8

Description

Our proposed innovation is the Lithium-Ion Thruster (LIT) system, a multi-use device capable of both electrical energy storage and thrust generation using the same hardware. The LIT system is an ideal candidate for a NASA Phase I SBIR grant because proving its feasibility will introduce a new propulsion and battery technology that provides distinct advantages over all other deorbiting technologies. It will do this by creating a massless battery within the propulsion system, using the stored energy inside the battery to power the spacecraft during normal operations, and then converting that same energy into thrust when the mission is complete. This unique coupling of systems reduces the overall size, weight, and power draw of the propulsion and battery system while also increasing the energy storage available. This allows spacecraft designers to dedicate more resources to the payloads they need to accomplish their science, commercial, and defense objectives while including a system to effectively deorbit spacecraft to reduce crowding and collision risk in low Earth orbit (LEO).This novel technology improves on traditional propulsion systems in the following ways: ● Combining the battery and propulsion system into a single device creates massless hardware by using the same mass for two distinct purposes. Volume, power draw, and cost will also be reduced, allowing more resources to be dedicated to the spacecraft payloads. ● Electrical energy storage capacity of the spacecraft will be increased, reducing pressure on mission designers with tight power budgets. ● The thrust of a burn can be controlled by altering the charge state of the battery cell. ● System safety will be increased during high-risk activities, such as handling, transportation, or launch, by putting the batteries into a low energy state (effectively unfueling the system). The battery cells can then be charged to the appropriate level on orbit before a propulsive event.