| Summary: | Development of high-ΔV propulsion systems compatible with the CubeSat form factor
is one of the last remaining technology gaps required to open up deep-space missions to
CubeSats. Electrospray thrusters are a promising technology due to their inherently small
form factor. However, the ΔV output of current electrospray thrusters is insufficient for
a deep-space mission due to lifetime limitations. The use of a staging system, analogous
to launch vehicle staging, allows the lifetime limitations to be bypassed in order to in-
crease the overall lifetime of the propulsion system. The core concept of staging as well
as the required mechanisms have been developed in previous work. This work contributes
towards the development of staging systems by performing the first demonstration of a
staging system with electrospray thrusters. Two separate stages of thrusters are fired in a
vacuum environment with an intermediate staging event thereby verifying the mechanical
and electrical feasibility of the staging configuration.
|
|---|