Momentus testing new spacecraft engine and photo voltaic array design
by Employees Writers
San Jose CA (SPX) Nov 15, 2023
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. business house firm that gives satellite tv for pc buses, transportation, and different in-space infrastructure providers, continues to advance in-space testing of its Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) and lately accomplished preliminary in-space testing of its Tape Spring Photo voltaic Array (TASSA).
The MET is the Vigoride Orbital Service Car’s (OSV) main propulsion technique that depends on solar energy and makes use of water as a propellant. The Vigoride OSV has redundant techniques to enhance reliability, together with two MET thrusters that may be operated independently. The Vigoride OSV will sometimes function utilizing one thruster, nevertheless, having two thrusters on the spacecraft enhances reliability and if extra thrust is required to help quicker motion of satellites over substantial distances or to new orbits, firing each thrusters allows the spacecraft to journey quicker and farther.
Momentus efficiently accomplished the preliminary on-orbit testing sequence of the MET earlier this 12 months after which paused testing to prioritize offering hosted payload providers to Caltech for its Area Photo voltaic Energy Demonstration program. MET testing is now persevering with with development into twin thruster-firings.
“We have been constructing on our MET testing from earlier this 12 months and have now carried out a number of twin thruster firings, together with firings as much as the total period deliberate for our near-term operational use instances of a five-minute-long twin thruster firing,” mentioned Momentus Chief Know-how Officer Rob Schwarz.
“Twin thruster firings will allow extra environment friendly orbit switch instances for patrons. As of at present, now we have roughly 230 minutes of firing time on the MET between each thrusters. In whole, we have executed roughly 6.5 km in orbital raises of the Vigoride OSV by firing the MET in single or dual-thruster firings.”
The MET know-how has achieved firing instances which might be in keeping with the operational instances required for Momentus missions. Its non-toxic water propellant is meant to allow less complicated, safer, and extra cost-efficient operations getting ready the spacecraft for launch on Earth and in operation in house.
“Momentus tailors the kind of propulsion system we use to fulfill mission wants,” mentioned Schwarz. “The MET know-how maturation as demonstrated is good for servicing missions. The engine can be provided as one in every of a number of kinds of propulsion techniques obtainable for the Momentus M-1000 satellite tv for pc bus.”
Preliminary In-Area TASSA Testing Full
Momentus’ TASSA is a developmental payload onboard the Vigoride-6 OSV that makes use of versatile photo voltaic cell know-how, permitting the photo voltaic array to be prolonged and retracted like a tape measure, utilizing its concave form to offer rigidity. Momentus was lately notified that its software was accredited to problem the corporate a patent for know-how behind TASSA.
TASSA is designed to be deployed and retracted on orbit quite a few instances, is configurable to various lengths primarily based on energy necessities, and makes use of skinny movie photo voltaic cells which might be radiation resistant and self-annealing. Thus far, the mission was in a position to reveal nearly all of the foremost efficiency necessities, together with growth yoke deployment, preliminary roll out deployment, skinny movie versatile photo voltaic cell energy era, low-cost slip ring efficiency, and retraction, offering confidence in addition to figuring out areas for enchancment as Momentus continues growth of this know-how.
“This demonstration mission and the dear information we collected offers us confidence within the mechanical and electrical parts, in addition to within the skinny movie photo voltaic cells on TASSA,” mentioned Schwarz. “Like most demo missions, we discovered a terrific deal by working the system on-orbit over an prolonged interval, which is an enormous step ahead. We stay up for enhancing the design and flying future TASSA demonstrations. With TASSA we goal to offer energy to the spacecraft at lower than 50% of the price of presently obtainable photo voltaic arrays available on the market.”
As soon as TASSA is absolutely flight certified, Momentus estimates that changing Vigoride’s present photo voltaic array with TASSA will considerably cut back the general recurring manufacturing value of its spacecraft.
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