SBIR Phase I: Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion

SBIR 第一阶段：吸气式电力推进

• 批准号: 2223063
• 负责人: Rostislav Spektor
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: VIRIDIAN SPACE CORPORATION
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2024-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2223063&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Air; Breathing; Electric

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to create reusable satellites that can refuel directly from the Earth’s atmosphere. These satellites will have two key advantages over the existing satellites. First, they will fly significantly lower than current satellites providing superior Earth Observation and satellite broadband communication quality. Second, they will enable refuellable space tugs that can perform a servicing mission and then descend into the atmosphere to refuel. Furthermore, by flying in these low orbits, satellites will naturally de-orbit at the end of life and leave orbits uncluttered. Finally, the proposed space tugs will reduce the need for powerful chemical rockets (for both launch and in-space maneuvers). This SBIR Phase I project proposes to investigate satellite air-breathing electric propulsion. While technologies necessary to enable air-breathing electric propulsion have been maturing for the last few decades, a viable system has not yet been demonstrated. This project will address the last remaining technological gap to enable a viable air-breathing electric propulsion system that will unlock access to ultra-low Earth orbits (ULEO), between 200 km and 300 km. The propulsion system consists of an electric propulsion thruster, such as a Hall Effect Thruster (HET) and an air-scoop that collects atmospheric air. This proposed project presents the first step in developing such a system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是制造可重复使用的卫星，这些卫星可以直接从地球大气层补充燃料，这些卫星与现有卫星相比将具有两个关键优势：首先，它们的飞行速度显着。其次，它们将使可加油太空拖船能够执行维修任务，然后下降到大气层中进行加油。最后，拟议的太空拖船将减少对强大化学火箭（用于发射和太空机动）的需求。尽管实现吸气式电力推进所需的技术在过去几十年中已经日趋成熟，但尚未展示出可行的系统，该项目将解决最后的技术差距。实现可行的吸气式电力推进系统，可进入 200 公里至 300 公里之间的超低地球轨道 (ULEO)。该推进系统由电力推进推进器（例如霍尔效应推进器 (HET)）和该提议的项目代表了开发此类系统的第一步。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，被认为值得支持。以及更广泛的影响审查标准。