Miniature Nontoxic Nitrous Oxide-Propane (MINNOP) Propulsion

ORBITEC proposes to develop the Miniature Nontoxic Nitrous Oxide-Propane (MINNOP) propulsion system, a small bipropellant propulsion system which we offer as an alternative to miniature hydrazine monopropellant thrusters for CubeSat-class spacecraft. As compared to state-of-the-art hydrazine systems, MINNOP propulsion will provide significant increases in specific impulse (in bipropellant mode) and comparable levels of minimum impulse bit (in cold gas mode), and it will do so with a nontoxic, environmentally benign, self-pressurizing set of propellants. In Phase I, we will focus on demonstrating the operation of the bipropellant thrust chamber, and ignition of that chamber within appropriate weight constraints. Our preliminary propulsion system design is intended to occupy 1U of a 3U-size CubeSat.