Lunar Missions Enabled by Chemical-Electrospray Propulsion

Completed TRL 3 (started at 3, targeting 7)

Description

This NASA-University of Illinois Urbana Champaign cooperative agreement involved the development and maturation of the SmallSat-compatible dual-mode Monopropellant and Electrospray Propulsion System (MEPS). Leveraging the FAM-110A propellant’s distinctive characteristics – its high density, non-toxicity, and ability to operate efficiently across a broad pressure range – this design would enable SmallSats to operate-in and switch between a high-thrust chemical combustion mode and a high-specific impulse electric electrospray mode, from a single propulsion system, instead of two. With correspondingly lower mass and more versatility, it could allow a wide variety of mission profiles that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Specific accomplishments during the two-year base-period development included the design and testing of propulsion components for both propulsion modes (feed system, PPU, and prototype combustion-electrospray thruster), performance measurements in both modes (thrust, Isp) as well as an assessment of the mission design and system mass/volume/power benefits that this dual-mode propulsion system confers over the current state-of-the-art for specific NASA lunar mission profiles.

Benefits

The key attribute of this technology is the shared propellant between both modes that allows the spacecraft to operate in either a high-thrust/low-Specific-Impulse mode (like chemical propulsion) or in a low-thrust/high-Specific-Impulse one (like electric propulsion) in a SmallSat-compatible packaging that weighs less than if two independent systems had to be carried simultaneously (as is often done on bigger spacecraft). This provides significant operational flexibility and adaptability to the SmallSat, enabling it to achieve a wide variety of mission profiles that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Additionally, such a system could also potentially execute “on-demand” drastically different mission profiles than originally planned, a responsiveness capability to fast-evolving needs/situations which is highly appealing to both the scientific and defense communities (e.g., “opportunistic observations” and “threat avoidance”).

Details

Technology area	Propulsion Systems > Electric Space Propulsion > Electrostatic Propulsion
Program	Small Spacecraft Technology (SST)
Lead organization	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
Start date	2020-07-01
End date	2025-09-30

Project contacts

Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.

Joshua Rovey
Khary I Parker — khary.i.parker@nasa.gov
Michael F Lembeck
Steven P Berg
Thomas Y Liu — thomas.y.liu@nasa.gov

How to get involved

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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