An Advanced Cryocooler for Space-Borne Applications

Future Department of Defense (DoD) space electro-optical payloads will require reliable, efficient, and lightweight cryocoolers for sensor cooling. Turbo-Brayton cryocoolers are an ideal candidate for these payloads. The technology is reliable and space proven with one unit having provided over 5.5 years of successful operations on the Hubble Space Telescope without any change in performance. Recent advances in component technologies have dramatically reduced the mass and increased the efficiency of turbo-Brayton cryocoolers. Current turbo-Brayton cryocoolers are comparable in mass and efficiency with competing cryocooler technologies at modest loads and higher, and they have the inherent integration benefits of negligible vibration emittance and the ability to cool distributed loads and loads distant from the heat rejection site. The net result of these benefits is significant reductions in overall payload mass. During this multi-phase program, we will develop a turbo-Brayton cryocooler for a specific DoD mission. During Phase I, we will perform trade studies and develop a preliminary design of the cryocooler. The results will be presented at a preliminary design review and will provide payload integrators with critical data for system level trades.