Space Propulsion: Advances and Challenges (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 9900

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 143-741, Republic of Korea
Interests: space propulsion; satellite system; thermal engineering; CFD; inverse heat transfer analysis; rarefied flow
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
Interests: combustion; combustion instability; acoustics; liquid propulsion; jet aviation fuels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A major function of space propulsion systems is to accelerate spacecraft by producing a propulsive force (thrust) or a change in velocity (delta-V) by ejecting propellant mass at a high speed into the air or space based on Newton’s laws of motion. This plays an important role in acceleration, attitude control, drag make-up, and orbit transfer maneuvers of spacecraft. The various types of space propulsion systems can be defined depending on what kind of energy source is used and how the energy is generated to provide thrust. At present, chemical and electric propulsion systems are the preferred types of systems for various spacecrafts. Applications of space propulsion can be classified into three different categories: escape propulsion (from Earth’s surface to its orbit), in-space propulsion (in Earth’s orbit), and deep space propulsion (from Earth’s orbit to outer space).

Since Goddard‘s first successful flight of a liquid propellant rocket in 1926, the roles of space propulsion have become more important and complex for the successful completion of predefined mission goals as recent demands on the function of space propulsion have diversified. Thus, various new and advanced concepts of space propulsion technologies are under investigation and development, especially for small-lift launch vehicles, reusable launch vehicles, Earth-orbiting satellites, deep space explorers, cubesats, and many other spacecraft applications.

This Special Issue invites contributions relating to recent advances and challenges for space propulsion technologies. Submissions welcome a whole range of space propulsion topics, including, but are not limited to:

  • Concept, theory, and related science and engineering;
  • Design, modeling, simulation, and analysis;
  • Mission and application;
  • Launch and flight/orbit operation;
  • Experiment, test, and verification;
  • Propellant (solid, liquid, gas, non-toxic, gelled, etc.);
  • Thrust generation method and type (chemical, electric, hybrid, solar sail, nuclear, etc.);
  • Hardware (material, part, component, equipment, assembly, and system) and software;
  • Manufacturing, integration, and facility.

Prof. Dr. Kyun Ho Lee
Prof. Dr. Chae Hoon Sohn
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • space propulsion
  • chemical propulsion
  • electric propulsion
  • hybrid propulsion
  • solar sail propulsion
  • nuclear propulsion
  • spacecraft
  • rocket
  • launch vehicle
  • satellite
  • cubesat
  • deep space explorer

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 9851 KiB  
Article
Study on the Improvement of Theoretical and Electric Field Simulation Methods for the Accurate Prediction of FEEP Thruster Performance
by Jeongsik Shin, Kyun Ho Lee, Jungwon Kuk and Han Seo Ko
Aerospace 2024, 11(9), 716; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090716 - 2 Sep 2024
Viewed by 583
Abstract
In this study, we investigate and propose an improved theoretical method to more accurately predict the performance of a field-emission electric propulsion (FEEP) thruster with its complex configuration. We identify critical flaws in the previous theoretical methods and derive corrected equations. Additionally, we [...] Read more.
In this study, we investigate and propose an improved theoretical method to more accurately predict the performance of a field-emission electric propulsion (FEEP) thruster with its complex configuration. We identify critical flaws in the previous theoretical methods and derive corrected equations. Additionally, we define and implement the overall half angle of the Taylor cone to account for variations in the Taylor cone’s half angle depending on the applied voltage. Next, we also establish an improved method of the electric filed simulation in a three-dimensional domain to accurately predict a trajectory of extracted ions and a resulting spatial beam distribution of the FEEP thruster by incorporating a configuration of the Taylor cone with the estimated overall half angle from the results of the present theoretical method. Through comparison with the experimental measurements, we found that the present improved methods for theoretical and electric field simulations can yield more accurate predictions than those of the previous methods, especially for higher V and Iem regimes, which correspond to the actual operating conditions of the FEEP thruster. Consequently, we anticipate that the proposed methods can enhance the reliability and efficiency of the design process by accurately predicting performance when developing the new FEEP thruster with its non-symmetric complex configuration to match specific thrust or spatial beam requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Propulsion: Advances and Challenges (2nd Edition))
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24 pages, 25621 KiB  
Article
Numerical Investigation of Flame-Acoustic Interaction at Resonant and Non-Resonant Conditions in a Model Combustion Chamber
by Tim Horchler, Stefan Fechter and Justin Hardi
Aerospace 2024, 11(7), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11070556 - 5 Jul 2024
Viewed by 706
Abstract
Despite considerable research effort in the past 60 years, the occurrence of combustion instabilities in rocket engines is still not fully understood. While the physical mechanisms involved have been studied separately and are well understood in a controlled environment, the exact interaction of [...] Read more.
Despite considerable research effort in the past 60 years, the occurrence of combustion instabilities in rocket engines is still not fully understood. While the physical mechanisms involved have been studied separately and are well understood in a controlled environment, the exact interaction of fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, chemical reactions, heat-release and acoustics, ultimately leading to instabilities, is not yet known. This paper focuses on the investigation of flame-acoustic interaction in a model combustion chamber using detached-eddy simulation (DES) methods. We present simulation results for a new load point of combustion chamber H from DLR Lampoldshausen and explore the flame response to resonant and non-resonant external excitation. In the first part of the paper, we use time-averaged results from a steady-state flow field without siren excitation to calculate the combustion chamber Helmholtz eigenmodes and compare them to the experimental results. The second part of the paper presents simulation results at a non-resonant excitation frequency. These results agree very well with the experimental results at the same condition, although the numerical simulation systematically overestimates the oscillation amplitudes. In the third part, we show that a simulation with resonant siren excitation can correctly reproduce the shift in eigenmode frequencies that is also seen in the experiments. Additionally, for this new load point, we confirm previous numerical results showing a strong influence of transversal excitation on the shape of the dense LOx cores. This work also proposes a bombing method for determining the resonant eigenmode frequencies based on an unexcited steady-state DES by simulating the decay of a strong artificial pressure pulse inside the combustion chamber. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Propulsion: Advances and Challenges (2nd Edition))
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14 pages, 3523 KiB  
Article
Study on the Penetration Performance of a Double-Angle Linear Shaped Charge: Performance Improvement and Miniaturization
by Jongmin Park and Sejin Kwon
Aerospace 2024, 11(4), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11040310 - 16 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1421
Abstract
This study was conducted on a linear shaped charge with a double-angle liner. The double-angle liner has a large inner apex angle and a small outer liner angle. Experiments and numerical analysis were performed in a penetration performance study, and it was confirmed [...] Read more.
This study was conducted on a linear shaped charge with a double-angle liner. The double-angle liner has a large inner apex angle and a small outer liner angle. Experiments and numerical analysis were performed in a penetration performance study, and it was confirmed that the experimental results and numerical analysis results matched well. As a result of the numerical analysis, at the standoff distance of 1.5 CD, the penetration performance of the double-angle linear shaped charge was improved by 14.5% compared to the conventional linear shaped charge, and at the standoff distance of 2.5 CD, the penetration performance was improved by 12.5%. For miniaturization, numerical analysis was performed by reducing the height of the explosive and the standoff distance. As a result of the numerical analysis, the penetration performance of the double-angle linear shaped charge was improved by 14.6% compared to the conventional linear shaped charge. Double-angle liners are effective in improving the penetration performance of linear shaped charges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Propulsion: Advances and Challenges (2nd Edition))
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19 pages, 7830 KiB  
Article
A Solar Thermal Steam Propulsion System Using Disassociated Steam for Interplanetary Exploration
by Leonard Vance, Agustin Espinoza, Jorge Martinez Dominguez, Salil Rabade, Gavin Liu and Jekan Thangavelautham
Aerospace 2024, 11(1), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11010084 - 17 Jan 2024
Viewed by 2469
Abstract
Sustainable space exploration will require using off-world resources for propellant generation. Using off-world-generated propellants significantly increases future missions’ range and payload capacity. Near Earth Objects (NEOs) contain a range of available resources, most notably water-ice and hydrated minerals. However, water-bearing regolith needs to [...] Read more.
Sustainable space exploration will require using off-world resources for propellant generation. Using off-world-generated propellants significantly increases future missions’ range and payload capacity. Near Earth Objects (NEOs) contain a range of available resources, most notably water-ice and hydrated minerals. However, water-bearing regolith needs to be excavated and the water extracted. Water is a compelling choice for fuel as it is readily available in interplanetary space and easily stored. In this paper, we propose using solar concentrators, which can efficiently convert incident sunlight into heat without the need for moving parts. When water is heated up to 4000 K, a value consistent with high-performance refractive materials, it experiences significant disassociation into H2, O2, OH, H, and O components, providing a path for adding considerable additional chemical energy per degree of temperature increase, and producing theoretical specific impulse (Isp) values in the range of 643 s to 659 s. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Propulsion: Advances and Challenges (2nd Edition))
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Review

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62 pages, 13575 KiB  
Review
Propulsion Technologies for CubeSats: Review
by Suood Alnaqbi, Djamal Darfilal and Sean Shan Min Swei
Aerospace 2024, 11(7), 502; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11070502 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3555
Abstract
This paper explores the wide-ranging topography of micro-propulsion systems that have been flown in different small satellite missions. CubeSats, known for their compact size and affordability, have gained popularity in the realm of space exploration. However, their limited propulsion capabilities have often been [...] Read more.
This paper explores the wide-ranging topography of micro-propulsion systems that have been flown in different small satellite missions. CubeSats, known for their compact size and affordability, have gained popularity in the realm of space exploration. However, their limited propulsion capabilities have often been a constraint in achieving certain mission objectives. In response to this challenge, space propulsion experts have developed a wide spectrum of miniaturized propulsion systems tailored to CubeSats, each offering distinct advantages. This literature review provides a comprehensive analysis of these micro-propulsion systems, categorizing them into distinct families based on their primary energy sources. The review provides informative graphs illustrating propulsion performance metrics, serving as beneficial resources for mission planners and satellite designers when selecting the most suitable propulsion system for a particular mission requirement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Propulsion: Advances and Challenges (2nd Edition))
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