Electric Pump Fed Propulsion for a Liquid Bipropellant Mars Ascent Vehicle

To-date, the realization of high-performance liquid bipropellant rocket engines for ascent vehicle and sample return applications has largely been hindered by the inability to obtain "on-board" pressurization through a light-weight and low-complexity pump. Ventions seeks to fulfill this critical need by offering low-risk, electric-motor driven pumps for a MON-30 / MMH liquid bipropellant engine in the Mars Ascent Vehicle for significant performance, mass and packaging advantages over pressure-fed or solid / hybrid propulsion systems.

The proposed pump-fed propulsion system has direct applications for the MAV and other sample return missions. The enabling technology also overcomes a generic challenge of providing on-board pressurization at the small-scale, thereby enabling a new generation of liquid bipropellant rocket engines in the 100-5,000lbf thrust class for other NASA applications such as lunar ascent / descent missions (precursor rovers, cargo, etc.), Near-Earth-Object (NEO) missions and outer planet orbit capture and insertion missions.

These could include upper stage propulsion for small commercial launch vehicles; core upper stage propulsion for various DARPA programs; Lunar lander propulsion for commercial entities and orbital insertion engines / apogee kick engines for orbit circularization of commercial satellites.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — 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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