High Power Electric Propulsion: MARS plus EUROPA – Already Beyond 2025!

It’s mid-term realization plus global strategic investments: the results of the European Russian DEMOCRITOS project (Horizon 2020) related to the MW class INPPS (International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System) flagship will be described. INPPS flagship includes high power electric thrusters cluster, supplied electric power by the nuclear reactor (successfully tested in Russia) and a solar power ring. Two INPPS versions were studied – the wide and arrow wing versions. Both versions have a futuristic design with standardized interfaces for several flagship subsystems. Especially the high payload mass of INPPS allows the transport of – for example – up to 12 t to JUPITER moon EUROPA and about 18 t to MARS – as a function of specific impulse of electric thrusters. INPPS flagship not only allows scientific, but especially commercial and communication payloads as well. This means industrial-scale production of space flight systems for robotic and human space exploration. International cooperation related to INPPS realization are necessary within an International High Power Space Transportation program to realize the DEMOCRITOS core, ground and space components until 2025. DEMOCRITOS project included partners from Europe, Russia and a Brazilian guest observer and received several inputs from NASA Cleveland and JAXA Tokyo

INPPS Flagship with iBOSS Building Blocks

This presentation addresses iBOSS (intelligent Building Blocks for On-Orbit Satellite Servicing and Assembly) as building blocks for non-nuclear sub-systems in INPPS (International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System) flagship. iBOSS are ideal mechanical, thermal, fluidic and data standardized building blocks to be used in autonomous robotic in-space assembly operations (referred to CAESAR (Compliant Assistance and Exploration SpAce Robot (CAESAR))) of INPPS in high Earth orbit above 800km. Additionally iBOSS will be used after non-human Mars return of INPPS, new replacements of INPPS sub-systems equipped in iBOSS for extended INPPS mission to Europa plus usage in a later first human Mars-INPPS mission. iBOSS building blocks are foreseen to be used in the non-human INPPS version (with wide wing radiators) in the second half of 2020th for space qualification - also already to Mars / Europa - and later in the 2030th in an arrow wing radiators version of INPPS flagship for human and cargo transport to Mars. These INPPS flagship versions with iBOSS were studied in a concurrent engineering study at DLR within the European-Russian DEMOCRITOS project. The study was supported by NASA Glenn Research Center and JAXA Tokyo. The result of the study related to iBOSS is, that the flagship will be - in considerable high quantity of the non-nuclear sub-systems - be equipped with iBOSS and iBOSS interfaces. For example, these sub-systems within iBOSS are the tanks of the electric thrusters, the power processing units and the electric thrusters. The iBOSS interfaces are foreseen for the deployable boom, the payload basket as well as for the auxiliary solar power ring. Insofar these sub-systems contribute to advancements with respect to engineering, manufacturing, assembly, test verification, reliability and service to reach the ten years operation duration of the new advanced space system INPPS

INPPS Flagship: Cluster of Electric Thrusters

This paper describes the results of the European-Russian DEMOCRITOS and MEGAHIT projects related to the electric thrusters on board the International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System (INPPS) flagship. INPPS flagship is a high power space transportation hybrid tug (power supply primary by nuclear power, by auxiliary solar power ring and chemical propulsion due to subsystems transport for assembly at high Earth orbit above 800 km) for Mars, Europa, Moon and asteroid exploration flights. In dependence from the actual exploration mission, mission phases, trajectory, and preferred international high power electric thrusters (about 20 - 50 kW) with different specific impulse, the results will be discussed in detail - also as a function of the transportable payload mass. Because of the 1 MWe nuclear reactor (successful ground based test confirmed by Russia in 2018) as the power supply for INPPS a cluster of about 15 or more electric thrusters were studied in the DEMOCRITOS project for MARS and EUROPA INPPS flagships. Issues related to power processing units for the electric thrusters were identified and will be discussed. In addition, low power (kW) electric thrusters for an INPPS flagship co-flying small inspection satellite are sketched too. Insofar the presentation is directly highlighting aspects of disruptive electric propulsion subsystems, within the INPPS space system and applied to visionary Mars (including non-human and human) and Europa exploration and space transport tug flights

MARS / EUROPA INPPS Flagship High Power Space Transportation

This paper explicitly explains INPPS (International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System) flagship subsystems like nuclear reactor, shielding, power conversion, boom, radiators, building blocks for tanks / payload basket / PPU / cluster of electric thrusters as well as additional solar power ring electricity and real time radiation detectors. Differences between the two flagships - as high power space transportation tug - for non-human (second half of 2020th) Mars / Europa and human (2030th) Mars exploration missions are sketched. The international studied conditions for human Mars and exploration Europa space flights are realizable by rationales for pursuing high power space transportation by INPPS due to: 1) the successful finalization of the European-Russian DEMOCRITOS and MEGAHIT projects with their three concepts of space, ground and nuclear demonstrators for INPPS realization (reached in 2017), 2) the successful ground based test of the Russian nuclear reactor with 1MWel plus important heat dissipation solution via droplet radiators (confirmed in 2018), 3) the space qualification of the Russian reactor until 2025 and 4) the perfect celestial constellation for a Earth-Mars/Phobos-Earth-Jupiter/Europa trajectory in 2026-2035 for most maximal INPPS flagship tests. Critical performance will be studied by parallel realizations of the ground and nuclear demonstrators of DEMOCRITOS (until 2025). The space qualification of INPPS with all subsystems including the nuclear reactor in the middle of the 2020th plus the INPPS tests for about one to two years - first in high Earth orbit robotic assembly phase of INPPS and later extended in nearby Earth space environment flight - means a complete concepts driven approval for all applied INPPS space technologies for both Mars/Europa exploration missions by INPPS flagship. In dependence - from the cluster of electric thrusters - the Mars/Europa INPPS payload mass is up to 18/12 tons. This very high payload mass allows to transport scientific, pure commercial and new media communication payload sections. For example, Mars and Europa payload as well as scientific payload in form of s small INPPS co-flying satellite are envisaged. The INPPS flagship missions are visionary, comparable with Apollo project and ISS with dedicated outcomes for science / technologies, international peaceful cooperation in space and additionally for commercialization plus communication from Earth to INPPS, within INPPS – means in space - and back from INPPS to Earth

INPPS Flagship: 2020th and 2030th Mars Explorations

The presentation summarizes INPPS (International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System) flagship non-human (2020th) and human (2030th) Mars exploration missions. The 2020th first flagship space flight is the complex, complete test mission for the second flagship towards Mars with humans (2030th). The most efficient approach is the completely tested first INPPS in the 2020th as the preparation of the second flagship with humans on board. The second INPPS (2030th) is also the regular space transportation tug Mars-Earth. International requests for human Mars space flight is realizable by rationales for pursuing two INPPS Mars missions in the proposed period: 1) successful finalization of the European-Russian DEMOCRITOS and MEGAHIT projects with their three concepts of space, ground and nuclear demonstrators for INPPS realization (2017), 2) successful ground based test of the Russian nuclear reactor with 1MWel plus the important thermal emission solution by droplet radiators (2018), 3) reactor space qualification by Russia until 2025 and 4) the perfect celestial Earth-Mars-Earth-Jupiter/Europa trajectory in 2026-2031 to carryout maximal INPPS space flight tests. Set of issues of INPPS space system and all subsystems became identified and studied during DEMOCRITOS. Consequently critical performance will be studied by parallel realizations of the ground and nuclear demonstrators (until 2025). The INPPS space demonstrator considers directly results of ground and nuclear demonstrator tests. Realization of the space demonstrator in form of the first space qualification of INPPS with all subsystems in the middle of the 2020th plus INPPS tests for about one to two years - first in high Earth orbit and later in nearby Earth space environment means a complete concepts driven approval for all INPPS technologies for non-human/human INPPS-Mars missions. Space subsystem results of MARS-INPPS design (with arrow wing shaped radiators) will be described. In dependence - from a cluster with worldwide selected electric thrusters - the MARS-INPPS payload mass is up to 18 tons. This very high payload mass allows to transport three different payloads at once - scientific, pure commercial and new media communication. The realization including tests is sketched: especially the need of non-human flagship Mars flight, the test towards Europa (including real time radiation monitoring) for maximal human Mars mission preparation for the second INPPS with humans to Mars. INPPS missions implicate Apollo and ISS comparable outcomes for science technologies, international dedication and in addition for space commercialization. Insofar - this MARS-INPPS presentation - convince high attendance of conference participants, commercial and new media investors

Electrical Thrusters in the EC MEGAHIT and DEMOCRITOS Projects

Die elektrischen Antriebe in den EU Projekten DiPoP, MEGAHIT und DEMOCRITOS werden beschrieben. Ebenfalls die MEGAHIT Roadmap und das DEMOCRITOS Projekt

INTERPLANETARY BY MARS-/EUROPA-INPPS FLAGSHIP & ORBITING SATELLITE

It is described the interplanetary INPPS flagship for Mars and Europa space exploration - without and with humans. INPPS - the International Nuclear Power and Propulsion System - fulfill all necessary UN regulations for NPS (Nuclear Power Source) in space: orbiting small satellites and the flagship itself will be equipped with particle and gamma ray detector like TIMEPIX