UWE-4: First Electric Propulsion on a 1U CubeSat — In-Orbit Experiments and Characterization
Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-236124
- The electric propulsion system NanoFEEP was integrated and tested in orbit on the UWE-4 satellite, which marks the first successful demonstration of an electric propulsion system on board a 1U CubeSat. In-orbit characterization measurements of the heating process of the propellant and the power consumption of the propulsion system at different thrust levels are presented. Furthermore, an analysis of the thrust vector direction based on its effect on the attitude of the spacecraft is described. The employed heater liquefies the propellant for aThe electric propulsion system NanoFEEP was integrated and tested in orbit on the UWE-4 satellite, which marks the first successful demonstration of an electric propulsion system on board a 1U CubeSat. In-orbit characterization measurements of the heating process of the propellant and the power consumption of the propulsion system at different thrust levels are presented. Furthermore, an analysis of the thrust vector direction based on its effect on the attitude of the spacecraft is described. The employed heater liquefies the propellant for a duration of 30 min per orbit and consumes 103 ± 4 mW. During this time, the respective thruster can be activated. The propulsion system including one thruster head, its corresponding heater, the neutralizer and the digital components of the power processing unit consume 8.5 ± 0.1 mW ⋅μ A\(^{−1}\) + 184 ± 8.5 mW and scales with the emitter current. The estimated thrust directions of two thruster heads are at angles of 15.7 ± 7.6∘ and 13.2 ± 5.5∘ relative to their mounting direction in the CubeSat structure. In light of the very limited power on a 1U CubeSat, the NanoFEEP propulsion system renders a very viable option. The heater of subsequent NanoFEEP thrusters was already improved, such that the system can be activated during the whole orbit period.…
Author: | Alexander KramerORCiD, Philip BangertORCiD, Klaus Schilling |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-236124 |
Document Type: | Journal article |
Faculties: | Fakultät für Mathematik und Informatik / Institut für Informatik |
Language: | English |
Parent Title (English): | Aerospace |
Year of Completion: | 2020 |
Volume: | 7 |
Issue: | 7 |
Article Number: | 98 |
Source: | Aerospace 2020, 7(7), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace7070098 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace7070098 |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 0 Informatik, Informationswissenschaft, allgemeine Werke / 00 Informatik, Wissen, Systeme / 000 Informatik, Informationswissenschaft, allgemeine Werke |
Tag: | CubeSat; NanoFEEP; UWE-4; characterization; electric propulsion; in-orbit experiments; power consumption; thrust direction |
Release Date: | 2021/05/11 |
EU-Project number / Contract (GA) number: | 320377 |
OpenAIRE: | OpenAIRE |
Collections: | Open-Access-Publikationsfonds / Förderzeitraum 2020 |
Licence (German): | CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International |