Green Monopropellant Thruster Technology Maturation

Busek, with its Small Business Technology Transfer partner Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), proposes to undertake the development of a AF-M315E green monopropellant thruster for a potential flight application. Busek will be designing, fabricating, and qualifying the thruster to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 status. SNL will be performing additional qualification tests for Busek and performing some science investigations to determine scaling effects and to generate a global model for AF-M315E reactions inside Buseks catalyst. The innovative catalyst technology employed by Busek for its 0.1N, 0.5N, 5N, and 22N AF-M315E thrusters significantly decrease green propellant technology risk by nature of the innovative catalyst design. The patented monolithic configuration provides a superior alternative to traditional metal-on-alumina packed bed technologies that have repeatedly demonstrated high temperature sintering failures that drastically limit their lifespan. This design of the catalyst is also easier to characterize and model owing to its monolithic construction which lacks a ceramic catalyst support and a bed plate further decreasing thermal catalyst failure risk. Approved for Public Release | 16-MDA-8863 (22 September 16)