Dawn Aerospace has ambitions for greening the smallsat market. The innovative startup has developed an environmentally friendly satellite propulsion system and is working on a smallsat launcher.
The company has created satellite thrusters fueled by nitrous oxide and propene instead of the deadly toxic fuel, hydrazine—the industry-standard monopropellant fuel for decades.
Hydrazine is highly combustible—a prized quality for satellite propulsion. But it’s also extremely toxic, caustic and could be carcinogenic. Hydrazine vapor can cause burns in the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract, and acts like a neurotoxin when absorbed through the skin.
The fuel is being phased out—the European Union intends to ban it by 2021, and the search for more environmentally friendly alternatives has already begun.
Dawn’s 22N thruster modules provide thrust and efficiency similar to equipment that uses hydrazine. It uses nitrous oxide and propene in a self-pressurizing configuration—and because the fuel is self-pressurizing, the same thruster can be used to maneuver in orbital and during re-entry. In addition, the 22N doesn’t need to pre-heat catalysts to achieve thrust, giving it rapid cold-start capabilities—which would allow operators to quickly adjust the cubesat’s position to compensate for orbital decay or avoid space junk, That maneuverability allows the satellite to operate at very low earth orbit, resulting in better sensor resolution and reduced communications latency.
Eliminating the need for a bladder or post-mission disposal requirements results in a simpler, more efficient and lighter component—resulting in a cheaper and safer launch. Through additive manufacturing the components can be modified to fit a variety of cubesat and launch configurations.
Dawn’s first propulsion system is launching in March, and a second will launch later in 2020. The company has contracts with startups, the New Zealand Space Agency and the U.S. Air Force.
The startup is also developing a drone-launched rocket that would transport smallsats into orbit.
It could take off from an airport with a 900 meter runway and would integrate its flight path with commercial airspace the same way an airplane would. The craft is autonomous, and could make several trips a day into orbit, reaching a speed of four kilometers per second. The launcher features a reusable engine 3D-printed in-house.
Dawn plans a first flight in mid-2020, and is already working on a scaled-up version that will include a second stage. Payload capabilities haven’t been determined yet. And it’s safe to assume the launcher will use Dawn’s hydrazine-free propulsion technology. The final product is anticipated to be ready for commercial use in about four years.
Read more about developments in smallsat technology at Rocket Lab Enters the Smallsat Market.