GasPak: A High Output, Clean Gas Generator for Large Volume Deployable Aerodynamic Decelerators

A large majority of commercial and NASA spacecraft mission types would benefit from the ability to have deployable aerodynamic decelerators. Beneficial applications include spacecraft returning to Earth from low Earth orbit, exploring other planetary bodies (e.g. descent to Mars, Venus, and Titan), and reducing the cost of access to space by enabling the recovery of launch vehicle assets. Current deployable aerodynamic decelerators are constrained by existing blowdown system limitations including mass efficiency, and long term storage of high pressure gas. Hydrogen, while an ideal candidate for its storage capacity, has high leak rates when considering long duration missions and transits. Gas generators provide a solution that has a higher density than cryogenic liquid hydrogen, however, these hydrogen generators are yet to be a space qualified technology. In this effort, Outpost Technologies Corporation (Outpost) will develop GasPak which is a low mass and clean gas generator that will be used for hypersonic inflatables on space missions. In order to achieve this goal Outpost will leverage its relationship with Dutch company TNO to procure commercial off the shelf nitrogen gas generators, building on our Phase Ifeasibility study to create a benchtop prototype. By the end of Phase II, the gas generator will reach TRL-8 by being demonstrated on an orbital Outpost mission with Earth return. A majority of commercial and NASA spacecraft mission types would benefit from the ability to have deployable aerodynamic decelerators. Beneficial applications include spacecraft returning from low Earth orbit, exploring other planetary bodies (e.g. descent to Mars, Venus, and Titan), and reducing the cost of access to space by enabling the recovery of launch vehicle assets.  GasPak's technology will lead to an estimated >2X more output of gas per pressurant storage volume, while simplifying overall operations via reduction of components. This volume savings allows for more mission/payload capability to be unlocked while also enabling more redundancy in the pressurant system. Moving from nitrogen to hydrogen based systems allows 60% more pressurant for the same system mass. Current deployable aerodynamic decelerators are constrained by existing blowdown system limitations including mass efficiency and long term storage of high pressure gas. Hydrogen, while an ideal candidate for its storage capacity, has high leak rates when considering long duration missions and transits. ​The overall objective of this proposal is to replace blowdown pressurant systems with mass efficient gas generators for large volume inflatables such as HIAD. The technical objectives of this Phase II are to complete: A full scale inflation test rig and laboratory testing On-orbit technology demonstration of the operation of a gas generator system A critical design review (CDR) level design for a gas generator system for use in a HIAD inflation on an Earth return tech demo mission in Phase III. These three objectives will align our development to be able to build the flight model GasPak and fly it on an Outpost Earth Return Ferry mission in 2025.   The deliverables by the end of Phase II will include test reports from the laboratory inflation tests, on-orbit inflation test report, and a CDR-level design of GasPak. Aligning with the subtopic of developing a gas generator for HIADs, these deliverables will push forward the development of gas generators for HIAD missions, and thereby replace the current state of the art pressurant blowdown systems. The lab based inflation tests will characterize the gas dynamics and certify low temperature gas with contaminant capture. The on-orbit inflation test will raise TRL on the gas generator system for a Phase III HIAD mission.

The primary NASA application will be Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs) as planned for use on missions to planets and moons with atmospheres as well as returning payloads to Earth. Additionally, GasPak may be used in substitution for other single use pressurant systems such as deployment of spacecraft components and planetary landing impact suppression. Outpost will use the GasPak technology in its own reusable satellites to deploy the heat shield for re-entry. Commercially, Outpost is enabling a new means of Earth return that allows satellites to be brought back to Earth and refurbished for future missions. Outpost also intends to sell the GasPak as a COTS component to the aerospace industry.

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