A novel design of MEMS based solid propellant

As the development of small satellites, more commonly referred to as ‘microsats’ with masses in the range of 10-100 kg and ‘nanosats’ featuring masses from 1-10 kg, there emerge several new kinds of space missions, such as the formation flying and constellations of micro satellites, distributed onboard carrier wave radar, high resolution synthetic aperture remote sensing etc. Due to the continuing miniaturization, systematization and complication trend of spacecraft and space missions, onboard propulsion systems are now expected to provide more precision impulse as well as achieving lower volumes and power consumptions. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) techniques offer great potential in satisfying the mission requirements for the next generation of micro propulsion systems. Thus since the 1990’s, a number of research organizations, such as NASA, JPL, TRW, ESA, have focused their attention towards the design and fabrication of MEMS based micro propulsions, among which solid propellant micro propulsions are proved to be more applicable for the orbit adjustment and attitude control of small satellites. However, conventional solid propellant micro propulsion systems work without status monitoring and thus lack stability. To overcome the deficiency, this paper presents a novel design of solid propellant MEMS based micro propulsion array that can improve the performance of the previous, details the design scheme, structural simulation, control method and Based on the pressure sensing this propulsion system can automatically make compensation and deliver impulse as precise as possible. In addition, buring efficiency of the propellant can be increased because of the ignition method changed and the gas flow dredging passages added.