Preliminary flight test of hydrogen peroxide retro-propulsion module

Abstract

In this paper, we present the development of a retro-thruster, the design of a retro-propulsion module, and a preliminary flight of the module in a landing demonstration. First, a retro-monopropellant thruster with the maximum thrust of 350 N that employs hydrogen peroxide as a monopropellant was developed. It's thrust force, efficiency of characteristic velocity, and specific impulse were evaluated during the course of it's development. To control the thrust force, two solenoid valves and a pulse width modulation (PWM) flow control valve were incorporated into the thruster design. Second, a retro-propulsion module with a wet mass of 23 kg was designed and fabricated. All the required components including tanks, propellant tubes, a pressure regulator, valves, a retro-thruster, and support structure were integrated into the module. Finally, a preliminary flight test with thrust and altitude control was carried out successfully. In this test, the throttling of the thrust force and altitude control was performed manually for safety purposes. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.