Pre-Flight Testing Results of Multiple Water Propulsion Systems - Resistojet and Ion Thruster for SmallSats

This paper described re-flight flight testing results of the miniature water propulsion system combined an ion thruster and resistojet thrusters which is to be demonstrated on-orbit by JAXA’s program named Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-3. The unified propulsion system has a huge potential to expand micro/nano-spacecraft utilization and decrease the risk of debris

Multiple Water Propulsion Systems: All Propulsive Capabilities for CubeSats From LEO to Deep Space

The proposal is a multiple water propulsion system which combines a water resistojet and water ion thruster

Development of Water Gridded Ion Thruster for Small Satellites: Toward On-Orbit Demonstration

Water as a propellant has many advantages and does not require a pressure vessel for storage. Its high safety level can reduce development cost and time. It is also a resource tightly tied to human spaceflight and found in-situ in the upcoming moon missions. Stored in its liquid state in our thrusters, it is then vaporized at room temperature and low pressure. The resulted steam is then injected in the discharge chambers where it is transformed into plasma. Plasma generation is achieved through flight-proven microwave discharge using Electron Cyclotron Resonance

On-Orbit Demonstration of the Water Resistojet Propulsion System on Commercial 6U-Sat SPHERE-1 EYE

SPHERE-1 EYE, a 6U CubeSat developed by Sony Group Corporation, was launched at the beginning of 2023. The satellite included a water resistojet propulsion system, which is designed for orbit raising after the initial checkout. The water resistojet propulsion system consists of a tank, a vaporizer, nozzles, a control board, and a power processing unit. The form factor of the propulsion system is 1.25 U, the wet mass is 1.4 kg, and the achievable total impulse of the system is 170 Ns or higher. A unique design of the water propulsion system is a vaporization chamber generating steam at room temperature and low pressure, under 10 kPa. The performance measured on the ground shows a thrust of 2.7 mN, and a specific impulse of 60 s. A qualification test campaign including vibration, shock, thermal, throughput, and system performance tests was conducted, followed by acceptance tests. On-orbit demonstration was conducted on March 3rd and 16th for all four nozzles and the thrust generation was confirmed. The estimated thrust on orbit was 6.1 - 7.2 mN. Comparison between the on-orbit results and the ground tests demonstrated the functionality of the system as anticipated

AQT-D: Demonstration of the Water Resistojet Propulsion System by the ISS-Deployed CubeSat

AQT-D (AQua Thruster-Demonstrator) is a 3U CubeSat for a demonstration of a water resistojet propulsion system developed by The University of Tokyo. AQT-D installed the 1U propulsion system using water as a propellant, named AQUARIUS-1U (AQUA ResIstojet propUlsion System 1U). We completed the design and assembly of the AQT-D flight model. AQUARIUS-1U was fired on a pendulum-type thrust balance, and its performance was directly characterized in both a stand-alone test and an integrated test using an entire spacecraft system. AQT-D is currently scheduled to be delivered to JAXA in July 2019 and launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in the middle of 2019 by the H-IIB rocket. AQT-D will be deployed from the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), known as Kibo, and demonstrate water propulsion technology