Analytical Framework for Staging of Space Propulsion Systems

Abstract

Staging of space propulsion systems would allow lifetime limitations inherent to small propulsion systems to be bypassed in order to enable high-ΔV capabilities for small spacecraft, in particular mass and volume constrained CubeSats. In addition, staging can be used to provide redundancy in the propulsion system, counteract thruster degradation, or open up new avenues of mission optimization. Analytical approximations are developed in order to provide a computationally simple approach to the design, analysis, definition of propulsion technology requirements, and online autonomous decision making for systems that make use of staging of propulsion elements. In addition, the analytical approximations provide insight into the dependencies of performance metrics on system parameters. Equations are developed for any mission, defined by its ΔV, and then specialized for escape trajectories.