Development of A Low Cost PPU For Feep Electric Propulsion Using Cots Components

Abstract

In the frame of the development of an electric-propulsion thruster for Micro-and Nanosatellites, FOTEC has put forward the in-house development of a low cost PPU, capable of driving the thruster with up to 10 kV emitter and -10 kV extractor voltage. After 5 generations of development, the PPU currently used in a thruster testing and qualification campaign has achieved 85% total efficiency including high voltage multiplier stages and protection circuitry. The PPU includes the functionality of the step-up conversion for emitter and extractor, propellant heating and neutralizer-operation within a volume of 90 x 94 x 78 mm, at a weight of less than 230 g and a total cost in production of less than € 1,000. This low cost approach using COTS components is targeting constellations and mega-constellations and is certainly the other extreme compared to the conventional design approach for spacecraft PPUs. In the light of the ongoing discussions of a change in the philosophy of designing spacecraft, going from fail-safe components to a "mass production" strategy which aims for fail-safety by redundancy. This paper also gives a starting point for the discussion on how a possible tradeoff between cost and reliability can be achieved.

Space micropropulsion systems for Cubesats and small satellites: From proximate targets to furthermost frontiers

“…201 Initial efforts to develop this technology also for propulsive means in the framework of the European Space Mission, specifically for GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) and LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) 202 missions, were unsuccessful mainly due to a very complicated manufacturing technique. Further development of the technology itself and the utilized manufacturing methods, in combination with the development of highly miniaturized power electronics, 203 has led to a break-through. The present system, called Indium FEEP Multineedle Emitter (IFM) (shown in Fig.…”

Performance Mapping and Qualification of the IFM Nano Thruster FM for in Orbit Demonstration

“…= Field Emission Electric Propulsion IFM = Indium FEEP Multiemitter mN-FEEP = FEEP with around 1 mN of thrust LMIS = Liquid Metal Ion Source IOD = In -Orbit Demonstration 1 Researcher, Aerospace Engineering, jelem@fotec.at 2 Deputy Head of Department, Aerospace Engineering, seifert@fotec.at 3 Researcher, Aerospace Engineering, buldrini@fotec.at 4 Researcher, Aerospace Engineering, hoerbe@fotec.at 5 CEO, reissner@enpulsion.com 6 Spacecraft Engineer at ESA, torsten.vogel@esa.int…”

“…major part of the IFM Nano thruster development was the design of an integrated power supply unit. For proper operation of the FEEP porous crown emitter it has to provide several controllable outputs[5]:• Positive DC high voltage generation for the FEEP emitter: 0 to 10 kV, 0 to 4 mA • Negative DC high voltage generation for the extractor electrode: 0 to -10 kV, 0 to -500 µA • Positive DC low voltage generation for the propellant heater: 0 to 15 W • AC low voltage generation for each of the two neutralizers: 0 to 5 W• Negative high voltage biasing of both neutralizers: fixed to -200 V The power supply is mostly based on COTS components to reduce development and production costs.…”