Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Solar Cube 2U: A Heliogyro Propulsion System for CubeSats
Project Description
The Solar Cube heliogyro is a CubeSat propulsion system that utilizes reflected solar pressure as its only means of propulsion and attitude control. It has the appearance of a Dutch windmill and employs sail control akin to a helicopter. Four solar reflecting blades made of ultrathin polyimide attach to a central bus. During operation, centripetal tension and chord-wise battens provide stiffness. The system uses collective and cyclic pitch of the blades to control attitude and thrust. For stowage, each blade is rolled onto a spool adjacent to its pitch actuator. For deployment, the spacecraft spins and the blades unroll in a controlled manner. The proposed Phase I effort will focus on fabrication and feasibility testing of a blade assembly, to prove that a sail blade of sufficient area can stow in the proposed volume and can deploy and pitch reliably. Phase II will mature the hardware design and develop the necessary GNC software. Eventually, Solar Cube will help CubeSats become capable of interplanetary operation, and extend their reach to places that are currently unattainable.
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Anticipated Benefits
NASA has an innate interest in what a Solar Cube heliogyro CubeSat can enable: semi-autonomous, fuel-free positioning of spacecraft at presently unattainable places of interest. In developing this capability for CubeSats, Altius can provide to NASA the possibility of undertaking exotic CubeSat missions once reserved for large spacecraft. Furthermore, the heliogyro can scale. Larger versions of the heliogyro that will be proven through this SBIR effort can accomplish all solar sail missions on NASA?s Technology Roadmap. Example applications are: Solar Weather Monitor Out-of-Ecliptic missions (Solar Polar Imager) Interstellar Probe Pole Sitter Earth-moon L2 Radio Quiet Observatory Transport to outer planets
Small, private spacecraft benefit from the heliogyro in unique ways, including increased access to space. Commercial space exploration is in its nascent stage and the CubeSat community is booming. The heliogyro will allow a CubeSat the same access to a large segment of space as a larger spacecraft. At the same time, it will dramatically reduce the cost of missions that otherwise would require a booster; e.g., going to the moon, GTO to LEO, high LEO to MEO, and other, scientifically important research missions. Solar Cube also enables nanosatellites with ambitious propulsion requirements to ride on launch vehicles that prohibit secondary payloads from carrying propellant. Example applications include: Situational awareness & asset relocation (DOD) Pole Sitter Position beacon/relay in space Mineral mapping of asteroids CubeSat transport for lunar science and exploration Orbital Transfer More »
Small, private spacecraft benefit from the heliogyro in unique ways, including increased access to space. Commercial space exploration is in its nascent stage and the CubeSat community is booming. The heliogyro will allow a CubeSat the same access to a large segment of space as a larger spacecraft. At the same time, it will dramatically reduce the cost of missions that otherwise would require a booster; e.g., going to the moon, GTO to LEO, high LEO to MEO, and other, scientifically important research missions. Solar Cube also enables nanosatellites with ambitious propulsion requirements to ride on launch vehicles that prohibit secondary payloads from carrying propellant. Example applications include: Situational awareness & asset relocation (DOD) Pole Sitter Position beacon/relay in space Mineral mapping of asteroids CubeSat transport for lunar science and exploration Orbital Transfer More »
Project Library
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altius Space Machines, Inc. | Lead Organization | Industry | Broomfield, Colorado |
Langley Research Center
(LaRC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Hampton, Virginia |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Colorado
-
Virginia
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