How Atmosphere Breathing Electric Propulsion Impacts Spacecraft Geometric Design & Layout
- Paper number
IAC-24,C4,9,9,x85967
- Author
Mr. Benjamin Kent, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Dr. Nicholas H. Crisp, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
- Coauthor
Dr. Peter C.E. Roberts, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
- Year
2024
- Abstract
Earth observation (EO) and communication payloads could be made lighter and cheaper if the mission altitude were to be reduced to below 450km in what we call Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). Optical, synthetic aperture radar, LIDAR and communications payloads are prime candidates for VLEO missions. VLEO allows improvements in radiometric performance, proportional to the inverse square of the distance. Optical resolution scales linearly with reduction in altitude. Atmosphere Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) is a novel form of Electric Propulsion where the propellant is collected from the residual Earth Atmosphere without requiring pre-stored propellant. ABEP has the potential to make significantly longer missions in VLEO feasible as the requirement for stored propellant is removed. The introduction of ABEP significantly impacts the design of the spacecraft. Alongside the desire to minimise the cross-section (for drag reduction), ABEP requires a front-mounted intake to maximise propellant capture. Consequently, integrating ABEP into a VLEO EO or communications spacecraft requires special attention to the geometric design and layout. The aerodynamic stability profile of the spacecraft is also of crucial importance. The need for an intake can shift the centre of pressure of the spacecraft forwards, increasing destabilising aerodynamic torques. The design of the intake is a crucial design parameter, affecting both the aerodynamic stability profile and the possible thrust produced. Two main types of intakes have been designed: one intake with a hexagonal geometry assuming traditional materials and drag profiles and a specular intake-based on a parabolic geometrical design. With these considerations, two basic ABEP configurations are often proposed in the literature: \begin{enumerate} \item Long slender body designs with a single intake, corresponding to virtually the entire cross section of the spacecraft body, and a single thruster laying behind. The intake can either be diffuse or specular. \item Flat body designs incorporating a series of intakes and thrusters to maximise the intake area/cross section ratio when paired with specular intakes. \end{enumerate} Adopting a more holistic approach, we will explore the range of ABEP constraints, first using a morphological matrix, outputting possible configurations and demonstrating knock-on effects of design decisions. These configurations will be explored in case studies considering different payloads (EO and communications), altitudes and drag compensation strategies.- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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