A CubeSat-Scale Testbed for Cryogenic Fluid Management Technologies

NASA has identified in-space cryogenic fluid management (CFM) as a high priority for technology development because the construction of an in-space propellant infrastructure is anticipated to dramatically decrease costs across a broad spectrum of missions. This importance is reflected in the designation of CFM as a Flagship Technology Demonstration Mission (FTD-2) as well as a mission at the level of Crosscutting Technologies (CRYOTE). Sierra Lobo proposes to develop a CFM testbed at the scale of an Edison Demonstration Mission (CryoCube) that would serve as a platform for a series of flight tests of many major CFM technologies. The missions will be designed to be conducted as stand-alone satellites, without reliance on propellant transfer from an upper stage, in order to provide the greatest possible flexibility for launch vehicle selection. Follow-up missions using dedicated small satellite launch vehicles could take advantage of the technology demonstrated during this SBIR program, and could be performed as funding becomes available instead of depending on the allocation in a large block.