High-Maturity Electric Propulsion System for Enabling Deep Space CubeSat Missions
- Paper number
IAC-19,C4,8-B4.5A,1,x50359
- Author
Dr. Michael Tsay, United States, Busek Co. Inc.
- Year
2019
- Abstract
In 2018 the first two interplanetary CubeSats flew to Mars on JPL’s MarCO mission. In late 2020, NASA’s SLS EM-1 vehicle will launch 13 CubeSats to the Moon. Advances in small satellite technologies are enabling these missions and allow increasingly complex CubeSat operation in deep space. Either individually in larger U-form factors, in constellations, or as supplements to large-scale missions, CubeSats are ushering in a new paradigm in solar system exploration. One key enabling technology is the miniaturization of highly sophisticated electric propulsion (EP). Busek has developed a groundbreaking, solid-iodine fueled CubeSat ion engine that enables high-deltaV ($>$2km/s) missions for $>$6U bus. The engine, known as “BIT-3”, is capable of up to 1.25mN thrust and 2,300sec specific impulse, while requiring 55-80W throttleable input power. Two BIT-3 flight systems are scheduled to be delivered to two SLS EM-1 secondary payloads in Q1 CY2019: Morehead State University’s Lunar IceCube and Arizona State University’s LunaH-Map. Additional flight systems are being delivered to undisclosed customers beginning Q3 CY2019. This presentation will be structured in two parts. The first part will give an overview of the BIT-3 engine and describe its capability. The second part will give some examples of applicable deep space missions and trajectories, including lunar orbit capture and descent, asteroid/NEO rendezvous, and Mars/Martian moon orbit insertion.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)