International Lunar Observatory Lander Demonstrator

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International Lunar ObservatoryLander
Demonstrator

• Presented at the ILOA Founders Meeting
• Waikoloa, Hawaii
• November 5th 2007

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Lander Demonstrator Project Overview

• Goal was to demonstrate throttling capability of
  SpaceDevs hybrid rocket motors, for use in the
  ILO lander vehicle.
• If hybrids can do the job, they present a
  low-cost, rapid-development solution, as compared
  to other lander propulsion technologies.
• Current phase of work began on July 20th 2007 and
  culminates with Founders Meeting.
• In current phase, lander vehicle and support
  apparatus were designed, built, and tested.
• Also in current phase, ILO spacecraft design was
  updated, and new spacecraft model was fabricated
  and delivered to ILOA in Kamuela.
• Lander Demonstrator vehicle has roughly
  full-scale thrust relative to current ILO concept
  and is constrained to a single vertical degree of
  freedom.

Lander Demo is the logical first step in a full
lander development plan, and will serve as a
platform that can be readily enhanced in
subsequent phases to provide attitude and
translational control.
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Advantages of Hybrid Motors

• High reliability
• Single propellant feed with simple feed system
• Reduced moving parts over liquid bi-prop system
• Higher performance than mono-prop
• Safety (N2O / HTPB)
• Inert propellants are non-toxic and non-explosive
• Long term storability with no danger from
  propellant mixing
• Low Cost
• Propellants Easily obtained low-cost materials
• Testing Short times for handling, setup, and
  turnaround
• Manufacturing Simple small-scale fuel grain
  processing

Simplicity of design, handling, and operations
allow SpaceDev to develop and test hybrid
propulsion prototypes and operational systems
under modest budgets and short timeframes.
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ILO Spacecraft

• Current ILO Conceptual Design
• Payload integrates communication antenna with
  radio and optical telescopes
• Soft landing is achieved via 4 hybrid rocket
  motors

Spherical Oxidizer Tank
Star Camera
Payload
4 Hybrid Motors
Solar Panels
Distributed Feed System Plumbing
4 Feed Valves and Actuators
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Vehicle Overview

• Vehicle Mass
• Dry Mass 140 lb
• Propellant load 44 lb
• Propulsion System
• Maximum total thrust capacity 204 lb
• 30 sec minimum design duration
• 4 motors
• Single oxidizer tank
• Single feed valve control
• Actuation
• Human driven via radio control
• Vertical Constraint System
• Dual cable system captured by Delrin tubing
  sleeves
• Flight Demos
• 24 sec planned flight duration
• Liftoff, climb to 30 ft, controlled landing

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Challenges

• Budget and schedule were very tight from the
  beginning.
• Then, an unexpected obstacle appeared right as we
  were getting ready to flight test, October 21-24,
  2007

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Results

• The team rallied to conduct a successful flight
  test on November 2nd 2007.
• We demonstrated applied throttling of hybrid
  rocket motors to achieve take-off, hover, and
  landing of the vehicle.
• We made history Nobody has ever used hybrid
  rocket motors for a lander vehicle before.
• We did it very efficiently by maximizing use of
  COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) components, and
  using a small team with each member given high
  levels of responsibility.

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Flight Test Profile