Advanced Green Micropropulsion System

Systima in collaboration with the University of Washington will develop a high performance, advanced green monopropellant microthruster (0.1?1.0 N) for small- and micro-satellites. The microthruster utilizes a high energy density HAN-based monopropellant AF-M315E, and a novel injection system to maximize thruster performance. The propellant is non-toxic making it easy to store, integrate into modular designs and launch without added costs associated with handling toxic propellants such as hydrazine. Phase I will focus on development of the microthruster propellant injection system to deliver propellant to a miniaturized catalyst bed to provide fast response while maintaining the life of the catalyst bed. In Phase II these systems will be integrated into the full microthruster design. This effort will result in a micropropulsion system with a modular design that meets the needs of current and future small- and micro-satellites for NASA missions.