Speakers
Description
Deorbiting a large spacecraft at the end-of life from LEO requires a robust system. For a defunct satellite, which cannot rely on its primary systems any further, a dedicated deorbiting package is preferred. Providing high thrust, a solid rocket motor can be a reliable controlled deorbiting method, which requires an equally dependable component for steering to the required trajectory.
Almatech was selected to investigate, and design a thrust vectoring mechanism as part of the Solid Propellant Autonomous Deorbit System (SPADES). In the scope if this project, Almatech has explored several solutions for thrust vectoring at the end-of-life. Constraints of the application drive the design towards a flexible and modular concept, with compliant parts to avoid degradation in orbit, and with solutions that decouple the structure from the thermal environment induced by the rocket motor.
A frictionless flex-gimbal mechanism with novel custom flexures was chosen for detailed design due to its relative simplicity, good performance, reliability, and ease of testing. The technology – with innovative, customizable pivots that have built-in movement limiters and allow the use of a compact, dedicated launch lock system – provides a versatile solution for autonomous trajectory control, eliminating the need for a system that is deeply integrated into the vehicle.
We show the main design drivers of such vectoring mechanism, the resulting novel thrust vectoring concept, as well as present outcomes and future steps of the project.
