BUSEK CO., INC. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: Z8

Description

<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in">The Compact High Performance Plasma Propulsion System (CHPPPS) is an electric propulsion system for 12U &ndash; 27U CubeSats.&nbsp; CHPPS is designed for high-value science missions which require high specific impulse, high reliability, and radiation tolerance.&nbsp; CHPPPS includes a low power Hall Effect Thruster (HET), a hollow cathode for neutralizing the ion beam, a propellant management system, and a power processing unit (PPU).&nbsp; The system is highly modular and appropriate for 12U &ndash; 27 U CubeSats in terms of size, mass, and power.&nbsp; CHPPPS may be as small as 4U, depending upon the fuel load and specific component selection.&nbsp; Thrust will be 3-8 mN, depending on the power supplied (60 &ndash; 135 W) and peak specific impulse will be &gt;1100 s.&nbsp; The thruster will be fueled with xenon or with game-changing iodine, which stores as a solid at very low pressure and much higher density than xenon.&nbsp; The use of iodine significantly decreases spacecraft dry mass, and dramatically decreases propellant volume.&nbsp; The impact of switching from xenon to iodine is most significant for volume limited spacecraft like CubeSats.&nbsp; Whether the thruster is fueled by xenon or by iodine, the ion beam will be neutralized by a hollow cathode flowing noble gas.&nbsp; The thruster will be powered by a compact, radiation tolerant power processing unit (PPU) previously developed for NASA and Air Force applications. &nbsp;ACS may be provided by cold gas thrusters fed from the noble gas storage system. &nbsp;In Phase I, the system design will be detailed and studied.&nbsp; Work will include a proof of concept hardware demonstration at relevant power levels.</p>