Increasingly Safe, High-Energy Propulsion System for Nano-Satellites

Numerous attempts have been undertaken to develop propulsion systems for nano-satellite-type spacecrafts to enable their maneuvering in orbits. One of the potentially viable chemical propellant propulsion systems is a hybrid system. The present paper studies propellant composition variants with the metal hydride as fuel that can be chosen for a nano-satellite hybrid propulsion system. It defines key requirements for chemical propellant nano-satellite propulsion systems, and specifies potential propellant pairs based on a compact metal hydride. The study describes basic technical characteristics of a 1U CubeSat propulsion system.