Solid Propellant Microthruster Design for Nanosatellite Applications

摘要

A solid propellant microthruster is investigated and is designed with conventional materials and processes with a future plan for microelectromechanical systems fabrication. The proposed solid propellant microthruster design will be demonstrated onboard the VI send-1 satellite. The YUsend-1 prototype solid propellant microthruster consists of 36 individual Ministers with chambers 1.5 mm in diameter and approximately 3.6 mm in length. The propellant is a formulation of glycidyl azide polymer and ammonium perchlorate with decreased viscosity for easy chamber filling. Impulse and thrust values are determined using a ballistic pendulum for nozzleless, sonic, and supersonic nozzle configurations. Throat diameters are approximately 600-700 jtm. In all three configurations, ignition is successful. For the sonic and supersonic nozzles, a concentrated plume is visible for a burn duration of 1.3-1.6 s, resulting in pendulum displacements of 1.4-1.9 mm. The observed thrust range is 0.18-0.29 mN, which is consistent with existing solid propellant microthruster designs.