Flight Demonstration of an ADN-Based Propulsion System on the PRISMA Satellite

The research and development of a novel monopropellant based on Ammonium Dinitramide (ADN) for space applications began in 1997 as a co-operation between the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI). The objective was to develop a propellant, which is safer and has better performance than hydrazine. The work has been performed under contract from the Swedish National Space Board and ESA. The progress of the development has been presented in several papers since 2000. ECAPS, partly owned by SSC, was established in 2000 with the aim to develop and market the “High Performance Green Propellant” (HPGP) technology for space applications. This new technology is based on several innovations and patents with respect to propellant and thruster design, including a high temperature resistant reactor and thrust chamber. The first flight demonstration of the HPGP propulsion system is planned to be performed on PRISMA, which is an international technology demonstration program with Swedish Space Corporation as the Prime Contractor. The PRISMA mission includes two satellites in LEO orbit where the focus is on rendezvous and formation flying. One of the satellites will act as a “target” and the “main” spacecraft will perform rendezvous and formation flying maneuvers. The flight opportunity on PRISMA is a unique opportunity to demonstrate the HPGP propulsion system, thus taking a significant step to towards its use in future space applications. This paper gives both an overview presentation of PRISMA and a more detailed description of the design, characteristics and verification status of the HPGP propulsion system with a novel propellant and thruster.