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ItemSPECTRE: Design of a Dual-Mode Green Monopropellant Propulsion System(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-02) Colón, Brandon J. ; Glaser, Mackenzie J. ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Bruno, Amelia R. ; Cavender, Daniel P. ; Lozano, PauloMiniaturization of propulsion systems has pushed the capabilities of small satellites by allowing them to perform more complex tasks such as orbital maneuvers and formation flying. Georgia Institute of Technology's Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) is designing a dual-mode propulsion system referred to as Spectre which will utilize AF-M315E (ASCENT) monopropellant to feed both modes. The propulsion system is capable of performing high thrust maneuvers via a chemical thruster that provides 1 N of thrust force and high efficiency maneuvers with 4 groups of electrospray thrusters. Spectre provides a total Δ𝑉 of 1097 m/s for a 12U CubeSat and has a dry mass estimate of 5.2 kg. This design accounts for approximately 8U (229mm x 238mm x 146 mm) of the CubeSat volume. The internal volume allocates 4.78 L for propellant, a pressurant gas and a propellant management device. Development efforts for this system are performed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This report presents the design efforts of the additively manufactured tank, the mechanical integration of Spectre, and future work.
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ItemAssembly Integration and Test of the Lunar Flashlight Propulsion System(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-01) Smith, Celeste R. ; Littleton, Lacey M. ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Cavender, Daniel P.The Lunar Flashlight Propulsion System (LFPS) was created to perform a Lunar Orbital Insertion maneuver for the Lunar Flashlight spacecraft so it can conduct its search for water in the lunar South Pole. The focus of this paper is on the late-stage design, integration, and test of the LFPS. The structure of the LFPS is 3D printed and further 3D printing was utilized to assist in the assembly process. The design will be reused to build a second unit and its heritage is already being leveraged on other early concept propulsion systems.
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ItemDevelopment of a COTS-Based Propulsion System Controller for NASA’s Lunar Flashlight CubeSat Mission(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-08) Cheek, Nathan ; Daniel, Nathan L. ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Peet, Sterling ; Smith, Celeste R. ; Cavender, Daniel P.The Lunar Flashlight mission is designed to send a 6U CubeSat into lunar orbit with the aim of finding water-ice deposits on the lunar south pole. The Glenn Lightsey Research Group (GLRG) within Georgia Tech’s Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL) is developing a low-cost propulsion system controller for this satellite using commercial-o↵-the-shelf (COTS) parts, with an emphasis on overcoming the harsh environment of lunar orbit through careful architecture and testing. This paper provides in-depth coverage of the LFPS controller development and testing processes, showing how an embedded system based on COTS parts can be designed for the intense environment of space. From the high-level requirements architecture to the selection of specific hardware components and software design choices, followed by rigorous environmental testing of the design, radiation and other environmental hardening can be achieved with high confidence.
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ItemDevelopment of a CubeSat-Scale Green Monopropellant Propulsion System for NASA's Lunar Flashlight Mission(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-01) Huggins, Grayson ; Talaksi, Ali ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Andrews, Dawn ; Cavender, Daniel P. ; Diaz, Carlos ; McQueen, Donald ; Williams, Hunter ; Baker, John ; Kowalkowski, MatthewNASA’s Lunar Flashlight is a low-cost 6U CubeSat whose mission is to search for ice and mineral deposits inside of the scattered craters at Moon’s southern pole. To conduct its primary science mission, Lunar Flashlight must be placed in a stable lunar polar orbit which requires the utilization of an on-board propulsion system. However, to this date, most CubeSats have been propelled by cold-gas or electric propulsion systems that have proven to scale well but lack sufficient impulse to conduct large _+ maneuvers such as orbit insertions. To this end, the Lunar Flashlight mission has chosen to utilize a custom-designed green monopropellant propulsion system developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology under the leadership of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and support from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The developed system is capable of providing more than the required propulsive capability for full mission success while fitting inside of a 2.5U volume and weighing less than six kilograms. The system utilizes the Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non Toxic (ASCENT) green monopropellant that provides higher specific impulse compared to traditional hydrazine while also being safer to handle. If successful, the presented propulsion system will enable Lunar Flashlight to be the first CubeSat to reach the Moon, the first to conduct an orbit insertion, and will be the first CubeSat demonstration of the ASCENT propellant.
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ItemDesign of a Green Monopropellant Propulsion System from the Lunar Flashlight CubeSat Mission(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-08) Andrews, Dawn ; Huggins, Grayson ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Cheek, Nathan ; Lee, Nathan D. ; Talaksi, Ali ; Peet, Sterling ; Littleton, Lacey M. ; Patel, Sahaj ; Skidmore, Logan ; Glaser, Mackenzie J. ; Cavender, Daniel P. ; Williams, Hunter ; McQueen, Donald ; Baker, John ; Kowalkowski, MatthewLunar Flashlight is a 6U CubeSat mission from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will search for water-ice deposits near the lunar south pole. Lunar Flashlight aims to add to the flight experience of deep-space CubeSats by demonstrating an orbit insertion using a green monopropellant propulsion system designed uniquely for this mission. Developed by NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) and Georgia Tech's Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL), the Lunar Flashlight Propulsion System (LFPS) delivers over 2500 N-s of total impulse for the orbit insertion and necessary attitude maneuvers. The custom propulsion system fits within a 2.5U volume and has a total wet mass of less than six kilograms. It will be fueled by AF-M315E, which is a green monopropellant developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as a safer alternative to hydrazine. Additive manufacturing is utilized to fabricate several components of its primary structure. Upon completion, Lunar Flashlight may become the first CubeSat to achieve orbit around a celestial body besides Earth. The LFPS aims to be a pathfinder device for CubeSat missions by demonstrating how monopropellant systems, green monopropellant fuel, and additive manufacturing can be utilized to expand the reach of small satellite space exploration.