SBIR-STTR Award

Alameda Applied Sciences has an opportunity (by working with Novawurks of Los Alamitos, CA) to secure flight heritage for its Metal Plasma Thruster (MPT-X). The MPT-X is an Electric Propulsion Thruster that delivers >4000 Ns of total impulse from a 1U package, with no moving parts, liquids or gases to be handled. The TRL-4 prototypes have been developed through several generations over two years. This SBIR affords an opportunity to integrate the MPT into Novawurks HISat platform and obtain flight heritage, to be followed by commercial sales to other satelliet builders and for NASA deep space missions. Potential NASA Applications NASA plans a new mission to study the insides of hurricanes (TROPICS) with a constellation of 12 CubeSats. The MPT is suited to this mission. The MPT is also suited to various other 6U CubeSat missions on the NASA calendar for deep space missions: Lunar IceCube, Lunar Flashlight, BioSentinel, NEA Scout, Mars InSight lander and INSPIRE. Potential Non-NASA Applications We are in an era in LEO space where tasks that were once the province of huge 10-ton satellites are now in tiny satellites with a mass <100 kg. This paradigm shift from huge geosynchronous satellites, to tiny LEO satellites, enables us to generate a data set that is unprecedented in terms of coverage and cadence. The entire planet benefits from this growing revolution in LEO. Potential customers include Novawurks, Airbus, Blue Canyon Technologies, Hera Systems, Dauria Aerospace, and Planet.

The innovation in this SBIR project is the maturation of AASC’s TRL-4 Metal Plasma Thruster into a TRL-9 system that is fully flight qualified by a launch into space (June 2020), followed by commercial sales of multiple thruster systems to NASA and other satellite makers. This SBIR [Z8.01 Small Spacecraft Propulsion Systems] points out that although there are currently many technologies for propulsion systems, the miniaturization of these systems for small spacecraft is a particular challenge. While cold gas or pulsed plasma systems support small ?v applications, modules that can provide more demanding maneuvers still need development. NASA seeks complete propulsion system solutions (thrusters, valves, propellant, sensors, electronics, etc.) capable of full-scale flight demonstration on 27U, 12U, 6U, or 3U CubeSats in support of deep space and/or swarm topology missions. Of particular interest are propulsion system solutions offering long life, reliability, and minimalistic use of CubeSat resources (power, energy, volume, and mass), while delivering propulsion capabilities that meet requirements. AASC has met these goals with its innovative, electric propulsion thruster (MPT) that has no moving parts, uses solid propellant (non-toxic stable metals such as Mo, Nb, Pd and many others), is compact (fits into 3U CubeSats, and is modular, so scalable to 12U, 27U and even larger platforms. The simplicity of the system and relatively low manufacturing cost make the MPT highly attractive to the CubeSat market. The technology has matured from TRL-4 to TRL-6 during the Ph-I effort. During Ph-II, we intend to take it to TRL-9 by launching into space and gathering operational data during positioning and attitude adjustment maneuvers on a 100kg satellite. Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) The MPT architecture lends itself to use on all NASA satellites in the 5 kg -250 kg category. Pathfinder (INSPIRE) is one example. The MPT could suit that mission, if a window of opportunity presents itself. NASA also plans to launch Lunar IceCube, a public-private partnership that will send a tiny CubeSat (Dec 2019) to do water-ice prospecting from an elliptical orbit around the moon. Lunar IceCube, Lunar Flashlight, BioSentinel and NEA Scout are part of a movement to employ cost-effective CubeSats for deep-space exploration. Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) 1000s of satellites (5 kg -80 kg) might soon be in LEO. Imaging satellites that today are launched into higher than 500km to avoid rapid burn-up, would offer higher resolution and faster refresh rates at lower altitudes but would need propulsion. The MPT (compact, no moving parts, solid fuel) is ideal for these satellites and in custom designed arrays, could be useful for larger satellites too.