Work

Estimation of Propellant Mass Requirements for Thruster-Driven Momentum Exchange Tether Deployer Vehicles

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article outlines a general approach to determining propellant mass requirements for operating a momentum exchange tether (MET), the rotation of which is driven by traditional thrusters for rideshare payload deployments. For payloads flying aboard rideshare launches, some may require unique deployment and ΔV requirements different from those of other payloads, requiring dedicated payload-based propulsion or unique deployment operations. By implementing METs, minimal hardware modification and native deployer-based propulsion can be used to support these unique deployments and expand deployer capabilities. Following initial tether hardware definition, vehicle-agnostic maneuvers for system spin-up, spin-down, and orbit correction maneuvers can be designed, each with their own propellant requirements. The total propellant mass for these maneuvers can contribute to later comparison with other deployment methods, such as motor-driven METs or traditional propulsive maneuvering.

Source: Aerospace

DOI: 10.3390/aerospace12110948

Authors: Ben Campbell, Lawrence Dale Thomas

Institution: University of Alabama in Huntsville

Language: English

Topic: Space Satellite Systems and Control

Subfield: Aerospace Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Alabama Space Grant Consortium