Development of a smart propellant storage system compatible with future mission of on-orbit-refueling
Among the objectives of this project there is the development of a solid-state iodine storage system for electrical propulsion systems, compatible with refueling. In particular, the BOOST technology demonstrator shall be equipped with a propellant tank which shall be filled with solid iodine cartridges. The propellant cartridge, once exhausted, is thought to be substituted with a new one by a servicing spacecraft thus extending the mission duration of the spacecraft. The system will be developed starting from the sub-system already developed by T4I (currently at a TRL 8) and adapting it to host the iodine cartridge.
The storage system will consist of (i) the tank, (ii) the electro-thermo-mechanical interfaces with the thruster’s fluidic subsystem, and (iii) the propellant cartridge. The tank shall serve as a container of the propellant cartridge, guaranteeing the structural integrity of the subsystem. Heater resistances will be coupled to the tank to heat and sublimate the propellant providing the iodine vapors toward the fluidic line. The tank and fluidic line shall be connected by electrical interfaces to power the heaters. The propellant cartridge shall be designed to be easily inserted into (removed from) the tank by the servicing spacecraft. The latter should extract the exhausted cartridge and plug in the new one inside the tank.
A mission analysis, performed by ASTOS based on satellite platforms defined by TYVAK, will provide a proof-of-concept of the on-orbit refueling concept for various target satellites and constellations and will provide sizing rules for an economic concept. The sizing will be evaluated also considering the increase of lifetime obtained with the introduction of the RF Cathode as discussed in the SO-1, and targeting the application that would benefit the on-orbit servicing in the most economically feasible and attractive way.