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Spacecraft Attitude and Velocity Control Thruster System

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Spacecraft Attitude and Velocity Control Thruster System ~™ mi mi ii inn in iiimii ii hi (19) J European Patent Office Office europeen des brevets (11) EP 0 91 9 464 A1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (43) Date of publication: (51) int. CI.6: B64G 1/26, F02K 9/50, 02.06.1999 Bulletin 1999/22 F02K 9/58 (21) Application number: 98120184.1 (22) Date of filing: 29.10.1998 (84) Designated Contracting States: • Bassichis, James S. AT BE CH CY DE DK ES Fl FR GB GR IE IT LI LU Playa del Rey, CA 90293 (US) MC NL PT SE • Hook, Dale L. Designated Extension States: Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 (US) AL LT LV MK RO SI (74) Representative: (30) Priority: 25.11.1997 US 977759 Schmidt, Steffen J., Dipl.-lng. Wuesthoff & Wuesthoff , (71) Applicant: TRW Inc. Patent- und Rechtsanwalte, Redondo Beach, California 90278 (US) Schweigerstrasse 2 81541 Munchen (DE) (72) Inventors: • Sackheim, Robert L. Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 (US) (54) Spacecraft attitude and velocity control thruster system (57) A rocket propulsion system for spacecraft which may also be of the SCAT thruster construction, achieves greater economy, reliability and efficiency that uses the same propellent fuel. Hydrazine and Bini- rocket by incorporating monopropellant RCS thrusters trogen tetroxide are preferred as the fuel and oxidizer, (1a-1f) for attitude control and bipropellant SCAT thrust- respectively. The new system offers a simple conversion ers (5a-5c) for velocity control. Both sets of thrusters are of existing monopropellant systems to a high perform- designed to use the same liquid fuel, supplied by a pres- ance bipropellant dual mode system without the surized non-pressure regulated tank, and operate in the extreme complexity and cost attendant to a binitrogen blow down mode. In the propulsion system such station tetroxide - hydrazine bipropellant system. keeping and attitude control thrusters may function in conjunction with a large thrust apogee kick engine, LATCMNG BMA1BN VALVE DUAL SEAT THRUSTER VALVE FR0U TO P VALVES CO * If MRE-1 TRUSTERS ATTITUDE CONTROL FIG. I CT> O Q_ LU Printed by Xerox (UK) Business Services 2.16.7/3.6 1 EP 0 919 464 A1 2 Description impulse, lsp which is defined as the thrust developed by the engine per unit of propellant weight flow rate. If the FIELD OF THE INVENTION thrust is measured in pounds and the flow rate in pounds per second, the units for the measurement of [0001 ] This invention relates generally to rocket pro- s specific impulse are seconds. The specific impulse is pulsion systems and, more particularly, to rocket propul- somewhat analogous to a miles-per-gallon figure for an sion systems for placing and maintaining spacecraft in automobile, since it measures how much thrust is devel- planetary orbits. Although the invention has broad appli- oped for a unit fuel flow rate. cation to both manned and unmanned spacecraft, it is [0006] Another measure of performance is, of course, particularly concerned with the launch, insertion and to the thrust force generated by the engine. For the rapid maintenance of satellites in geosynchronous orbits. acceleration that is required in a transition to geosyn- chronous orbit, particularly at the apogee "kick" phase BACKGROUND of a mission, an engine with a relatively large thrust is required, perhaps generating up to several thousand [0002] Placing a geosynchronous satellite into orbit 15 pounds of thrust force. The specific impulse, lsp, of such typically involves three principal mission phases. First a high thrust engine is also important, and should be in the satellite is placed in low earth orbit not far above the the 300 to 400 second range. earth's atmosphere, either as part of the payload of a [0007] For station keeping and attitude control, high space shuttle vehicle or on a conventional non-reusable thrust is far less important, since most station-keeping rocket vehicle. In the second phase, the satellite orbit 20 and attitude control maneuvers can be efficiently has its apogee or highest point raised in altitude by one accomplished with low-thrust burns of the rocket or more rocket "burns" at a selected point in the orbit, engines. However, fuel economy is very important for until the apogee is approximately at geosynchronous rocket engines used in these activities. Hence, the altitude. Finally, the satellite is given an apogee "kick," higher the lSp the better. Present monopropellent rock- i.e. a further rocket burn at apogee that circularizes the 25 ets for these functions achieve an lSP on the order of orbit at geosynchronous altitude. about 225 to 235 seconds. [0003] Once in orbit, rocket engines are called upon [0008] Because of the different requirements, earlier for three additional functions: station keeping, station propulsion systems involved using multiple fuels and changes and attitude control, which are sometimes engine systems for the apogee kick and the velocity and referred to collectively as reaction control system 30 attitude control. For example, a solid rocket was used for (RCS)functions. Satellites are usually required to main- the apogee kick engine and hydrazine catalytic engines tain a particular "station" with respect to the earth's sur- were used for the station keeping\changing velocity and face. Moreover, to satisfy requirements of a particular attitude control system thrusters. There is nothing inher- mission, satellites are sometimes required to change ently incorrect with that traditional approach, except that from one station to a different station. Changing the sat- 35 the use of two separate propulsion systems weighs ellite to another station obviously requires expenditure more, thereby severely limit the size of the useful pay- of energy. Maintaining a given station also requires the load that can be placed and maintained in orbit, and it expenditure of energy, even though the orbit is theoreti- costs more. cally self-sustaining and geosynchronous. Various fac- [0009] Some improvement can be obtained using an tors that create drag and reduce or change the satellites 40 integrated bipropellant system, in which both the apo- velocity, such as the non-spherical nature of the earth, gee kick engine and the RCS thrusters each use a the gravitational influences of the moon and sun, and so bipropellant fuel system, such as monomethyl hydra- forth, require that the orbit be corrected from time to zine (MMH) as the fuel and binitrogen tetroxide time if the required station is to be maintained. To make (N204)as the oxidizer. Even with that, there is still room either station keeping corrections or station changes, 45 for further improvement in the payload that can be the station keeping/changing rocket engines provide a placed in orbit for a given mission. Another way to look "burn" sufficient to slightly change the satellite's velocity. at the matter is that there is room for improvement in the Attitude control is simply the use of multiple rocket lifetime that a given spacecraft payload could be main- engines on the spacecraft to maintain a particular angu- tained in orbit. With a more efficient propulsion system, lar attitude or "pointing" of the vehicle. This may be so a greater payload may be maintained in orbit for a given needed, for example, to point an antenna or other sen- time, or the same payload may be maintained in orbit for sor at the earth, the sun, or a star. a longer time. [0004] Unfortunately, the rocket engine performance [0010] To that end, additional propulsion systems characteristics required for the various functions of were proposed to increase payload efficiency. In U.S. orbital transfer, station keeping/changing and attitude 55 5,282,357 granted Feb. 1, 1994 to one of the present control are not identical. inventors and owned by the same assignee, a space- [0005] A figure of merit often used in the comparison craft rocket propulsion system is disclosed which uses of the efficiency of rocket engines is the specific the same fuel for both a bipropellant rocket engine 2 3 EP0EP 0 919 46464 A1 4 capable of producing high thrust to provide the apogee alternative vaporization procedure for the oxidizer obvi- kick, and one or more monopropellent rocket engines ously somewhat enhances the efficiency of the propul- that deliver low thrust, such as the MRE-1 thrusters, for sion process used in the SCAT thruster, an advantage the station keeping and attitude control functions. By to that engine. employing a common fuel for both the bipropellant and 5 [0016] The cooling effect inherent in the SCAT monopropellant rocket engines, the spacecraft is thruster's bipropellant mode of operation raises an addi- required to stow only one fuel, the Hydrazine, as exam- tional factor of importance for some spacecraft mis- ple, and that reduces weight in comparison to prior sys- sions: durability. Heating to high temperatures, tems requiring different fuels and storage vessels, particularly to temperatures close to the engine metal's thereby improving propulsion efficiency. w breakdown or melting temperature is corrosive of met- [0011] Further, in additional patents U.S. 5,417,049 als and, if possible, is best avoided. Rockets for velocity granted May 23, 1995 and U.S. 5,572,865, granted Nov. and attitude control application are used repeatedly 12, 1996, related to the foregoing '357 patent, and over a mission that may last ten years or more and, issued to one or more of the present inventors, among therefore, engine durability is important. other things, a new propulsion system is proposed and 15 [001 7] Cooling the small monopropellant engines typ- a new bi-propellant thruster construction is described ically used for reaction control functions is difficult due that has dual mode capability. That thruster construction to the engine's small thermal radiating surfaces.
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