VG05-189

Solar Thermal Propulsion for Small Spacecraft

- Engineering System Development and Evaluation -

Takashi Nakamura and Robert H. Krech

Physical Sciences Inc., 2110 Omega Road, Suite D, San Ramon, CA 94583
James A. McClanahan and James M. Shoji
Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power, The Boeing Company, Canoga Park, CA 91309
and
Russell Partch and Skylar Quinn
Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117
Presented at
41st AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit
Tucson, Arizona
10-13 July 2005

Physical Sciences Inc. 20 New England Business Center Andover, MA 01810

Off-axis Inflated Concentrator Solar
Thermal Propulsion System
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Solar Thermal Propulsion System for Small Spacecraft
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Spacecraft
Thermal Thruster
(Attitude Control)

Propellant

Optical Solar Concentrator

Switch Thermal Thruster
Optical Fiber Cable
(Main Propulsion) F-7599
Experimental Setup for Solar Thermal Test
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Extraterrestrial Solar Spectral Irradiance at 1 AU
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Total Solar Power: 1.353 kW/m2

Optical Fiber Intrinsic Attenuation Characteristics
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Electronic
Absorption

Vibrational
Absorption
Attenuation

Minimum
Attenuation

Reyleigh Scattering

Wavelength F-9527
 Spectral Attenuation of Commercial
Grade Optical Fiber
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Note: Percentages refer to transmission through a 10-m length

 Optical Fiber Transmission Line
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Cable Outlet

Cable Inlet
 Schematic of Solar Receiver
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Moly Tube (1/4") Quartz Rod

(1 cm Dia)

Moly Foil Rad Shield

Moly Foil
Rad Shield Moly Tube (1/4")

G-1934a G-1935a

Quartz Rod
(1 cm Dia) Graphite Receiver
Graphite Receiver

Spacer

Washer
Plug Pin 0 1.0
Inch

0 1.0
Inch
The Solar Receiver Housing with 4 Fiber Cables
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 Receiver Temperature vs. Solar Power Input
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1600

1400
Receiver Temperature (K)

1200

1000

800

600

400
Gas Temperature
200 Graphite Wall Temperature
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
Solar Power Input (W) G-3091

Argon flow rate: 6.34 x 10-3 mole/sec.; Asymmetric heating (12/8/03)

Optical Fiber Cables Emitting Solar Power
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Achievable Receiver Temperature vs Solar Flux Intensity
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4000

Space System
3500
Projection
Receiver Temperature (K)

Single Fiber NA = 0.48

3000 Test Data
(1999) NA = 0.37
2500 NA = 0.44
NA = 0.37
2000 Phase II Projection

1500 Phase I Data (2003)

Material Processing
1000 Exp. Results (1996)

500

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Effective AM0 Concentration Ratio G-1837a
 System Efficiency
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Engineering Space-Based
Model Results Operational System Improvement Measures
Primary Concentrator 0.722 0.864

Reflectivity 0.82 0.90 Reflectivity enhancing coating

Intercept factor 0.88 0.96 Intercept factor in space will be
higher
Concentrator fiber coupling 0.708 0.965

Front-end Fresnel reflection 0.965 0.965

Fiber fill factor 0.734 1.00 Improve fiber cable front termination
design for higher fill factor
Optical fiber cable transmitter 0.743 0.868
(10 meter)
Fiber transmission 0.77 0.90 Use low-OH fiber for higher
transmission efficiency
Back-end reflection 0.965 0.965
System efficiency ~0.380 ~0.724
 Concentrator Configurations
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Spacecraft Spacecraft

Propellant Propellant

Thermal Thruster Thermal

Optical Fiber Cable Thruster
Off-Axis
On-axis Optical Fiber Cable Concentrator
Concentrator G-1878 G-1879

On-Axis Off-Axis
 Potential System Benefit for Orbit Transfer
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Reduced primary propulsion system mass

higher optical train efficiency

Lower Attitude Control System (ACS) mass

use high-temperature, hydrogen/ammonia for ACS

Operation flexibility
concentrator, receiver/thruster and spacecraft can be independently oriented
Solar Thermal Propulsion System for Orbit Transfer
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 LEO-to-GEO Transfer:
System Trade Guidelines and Assumptions
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LEO (400 km, 28.5 degree inclination) to GEO

Payload and spacecraft bus: 150 kg

Primary orbit transfer thrust: 1 N

Hydrogen @ 2300 K, Isp: 795 sec

Optical efficiency
conventional system: 0.531
OW system: 0.575
ACS
conventional system: 10 monopropellant hydrazine thrusters (Isp = 220 sec)
OW system: 2 integrated (H2 or NH3) thruster (Isp = 795, 386 sec)
 System Comparison: Conventional vs. OW
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Attitude Control
(Hydrazine Thrusters)

Spacecraft

Propellant

Solar Concentrators Receiver/Thruster

(Pitch & Yaw)

Conventional Solar Thermal Propulsion System with Hydrazine ACS

Fiber Optic Propellant

Cable Receiver/Thruster
(Roll)

Fiber Optic Cable

Receiver/Thruster
Solar Concentrators Optical
(Pitch & Yaw)
Switch

Optical Wave (OW) Guide Solar Thermal Propulsion System

with Integrated OW Guide ACS H-1947
System Comparison Result: Primary Propulsion
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680

660
Conventional Solar Thermal Propulsion
System with Off-Axis Concentrators
640
Total Launch Mass, kg

620

600

580
Optical Wave (OW) Guide Solar Thermal
560 Propulsion System with On-Axis
Concentrators
540

520

500
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5
Concentrator Areal Density, kg/m2
H-1948
 System Comparison Result:
Primary and Integrated ACS (H2)
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1300

1200 Conventional Solar Thermal Propulsion

with Off-Axis Concentrators and
Hydrazine ACS
1100
Total Launch Mass, kg

100,000 lb-sec
1000

900
50,000 lb-sec

with Off-Axis Concentrators

800
10,000 lb-sec
with On-Axis Concentrators
700
Optical Wave (OW) Guide Solar Thermal
Propulsion with Integrated OW ACS
600
(Hydrogen)

500
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000
Total ACS Impulse, kg-sec
H-1949
 System Comparison Result: Primary and
Integrated ACS (NH3)
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1300

1200 Conventional Solar Thermal Propulsion

with Off-Axis Concentrators and
Hydrazine ACS
Total Launch Mass, kg

1100
100,000 lb-sec

1000 with Off-Axis Concentrators

900
50,000 lb-sec

800 with On-Axis Concentrators

10,000 lb-sec
Optical Wave (OW) Guide Solar Thermal
700 Propulsion with Integrated OW ACS
(Ammonia)

600
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000
Total ACS Impulse, kg-sec H-1950
 Summary
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Solar thermal propulsion based on optical waveguide is a viable

system concept
Phase I study validated basic concept
performance of the system will be compatible with the requirements for solar
thermal propulsion
appreciable launch mass savings for LEO-to-GEO transfer will be likely

Phase II work pertaining to engineering system development is in

progress
validation of higher receiver temperature
component technology development
system integration
 Acknowledgement
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The work described was sponsored under Air Force Research

Laboratory Contract No. FA9453-04-C-0224.