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NASA NTRS · 20205011556

Application of Micro-Thruster Technology for Space Observatory Pointing Stability

Cornelius J. Dennehy·Aron A. Wolf·Andy Wu·Richard Chiang·Eric T. Stoneking·John K. Ziemer
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Abstract

This assessment was requested by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) Technical Discipline Team (TDT), which identified the topic as an unrecognized critical need for the Agency’s future space science observatory-class space platforms. An initial low-fidelity feasibility study of the use of cold-gas micro-thrusters as a replacement for reaction wheels was performed in 2017 as a GN&C TDT discretionary activity. The assessment documented in this final report was initiated in 2018 as a follow-on high-fidelity study.

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Cornelius J. Dennehy, Aron A. Wolf, Andy Wu, Richard Chiang, Eric T. Stoneking, John K. Ziemer. 2020-12-01. Application of Micro-Thruster Technology for Space Observatory Pointing Stability. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20205011556

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