Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Nitrous Oxide Micro Engines, Phase I
Project Introduction
Nitrous Oxide Micro Engines (NOME) are a new type of nitrous oxide dissociation thruster designed to generate low levels of thrust that can be used for RCS control in large satellites or as main propulsion in micro-satellites. Nitrous is the ideal propellant choice for RCS control in satellites due to the fact that it is non-toxic, non-cryogenic, easily storable, self-pressurizing, and cost effective (unlike monopropellant engines that use hydrazine or hydrogen peroxide which are toxic and/or dangerous, increasing ground costs). NOME engines will have all the desirable features of other monopropellant engines (i.e. simplicity of design, restartable/control on demand, and repeatability) NOME engines will also have a comparable ISP to current monopropellant engines (near 190s) but will be made to achieve greater simplicity and lower handling costs than current systems. NOMEs will have over double the Isp of cold gas reaction control systems.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Astronautics | Lead Organization |
Industry
Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones)
|
Lakewood, Colorado |
Glenn Research Center
(GRC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Cleveland, Ohio |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Colorado
-
Ohio
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Organization:
- Pioneer Astronautics
Responsible Program:
- Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Principal Investigator:
Co-Investigator:
- Robert Zubrin
Project Duration
Start: Feb 2011
End: Sep 2011
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 3 |
| Current: | 5 |
| Estimated End: | 5 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TX01 Propulsion Systems
- TX01.1 Chemical Space Propulsion
- TX01.1.7 Cold Gas
Target Destinations
The Sun, Earth, The Moon, Mars, Others Inside the Solar System, Outside the Solar System
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