Lunar SmallSat Missions with Chemical-Electrospray Multimode Propulsion

What is it about?

Multimode spacecraft propulsion combines two or more propulsive modes into a single system using a single propellant. In this study, four lunar SmallSat missions are explored using a chemical-electric multimode system. The study finds a multimode system can complete three of the four missions subject to an 8 kg propellant constraint and the fourth with an increased allowance. The results are compared to traditional all-chemical and all-electric systems. The number of mode switching events and minimum required switching time between modes are quantified for the first time.

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