The innovative device imitates the operation of a satellite’s electric thruster, allowing for a more cost efficient, simple and fast way to check and adjust onboard electronics outside of a vacuum chamber. The simulator is the first of its kind to contain domestic components exclusively.
Electric propulsion is a major power consumer onboard the spacecraft, prone to affecting the performance of other subsystems, which is why preliminary testing is a must.
Egor Shilov, lead engineer for Moscow Aviation Institute School of Applied Mechanics and Electric Dynamics, posits: “Firing the thruster and switching it between modes incur a fast-paced change of electric parameters in its circuit – we’re talking tens of thousands changes per second. This naturally leads to electric interferences. The electric power subsystem must be capable of mitigating them and protecting the other subsystems. Unlike other similar devices, our simulator can imitate these fast, potentially hazardous processes with extreme precision”.
The simulator is based on a programmable microcontroller. It is loaded with algorithms developed on the basis of a deep analysis of data obtained during real thruster operation. The device changes the parameters of thruster-to-spacecraft electrical circuits, thereby reproducing loads identical to those seen by the real-life thruster. This allows the engineering team to test the satellite’s systems in life-like conditions and develop electronics with better immunity to interferences.
The development and stand-alone testing of the microelectronic simulator were commissioned by RESHETNEV. Fellows of the MAI School of Applied Mechanics and Electric Dynamics, MAI Radar Systems Research and Production Center, and RESHETNEV engineers joined forces to tackle the challenge.
“Electric thruster simulators are already in demand, and we’re certain we will see the market growing substantially in the years to come due to expanding production of multi-satellite constellations where each spacecraft is, of course, equipped with a thruster”, says Alexander Bogaty, Deputy Director for Development, MAI School of Applied Mechanics and Electric Dynamics.
The team at MAI has produced the test mockup of a plasma orbit control propulsion unit based on a Keldysh Research Center thruster. At the time of this writing the unit has undergone development testing and preliminary verification.
RESHETNEV intends to produce the unit serially. Final acceptance campaign of the test unit is slated for 2025. Further plans include MAI expanding the lineup of simulators and adapting them for other plasma thruster types.
