MASTER'S THESIS

Design and Development of UWE-4

Integration of Electric Propulsion Units, Structural Analysis and Orbital Heating

Analysis

Arunkumar Rathinam
2015

Master of Science (120 credits)

Space Engineering - Space Master

Lule University of Technology

Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering
 Design and Development of UWE-4

Integration of Electric Propulsion units, Structural Analysis & Orbital

Heating Analysis

Master Thesis
in
Space Science and Technology
written by
Arunkumar Rathinam

performed at
University of Wrzburg
Faculty of Computer Science
Institute of Robotics and Telematics

Examiner External Examiner (LTU) Supervisor

Prof. Dr. K. Schilling Prof. Dr. J. Ejemalm MSc. Philip Bangert

Examiner I

Prof. Dr. rer. nat Klaus Schilling

Professor and Chair
Informatics VII: Robotics and Telematics Informatics
Julius-Maximilians-University Wrzburg, Germany

Examiner II

Prof. Dr. Johnny Ejemalm

Senior Lecturer
Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering
Lule University of Technology, Sweden

Supervisor

MSc. Philip Bangert

Research Assistant
Informatics VII: Robotics and Telematics Informatics
Julius-Maximilians Universitt Wrzburg, Germany

Date of the submission

31-03-2015
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis is entirely the result of my work except where
otherwise indicated. I have only used the resources given in the list of references.

ARUNKUMAR RATHINAM

Wrzburg
31 March, 2015
Dedicated to my beloved family, respected teachers, and wonderful friends

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The stalks of water-flowers are proportionate to the depth of water;

So is ones greatness proportionate to their minds
-Thiruvalluvar
 ABSTRACT

After the successful launch and operation of UWE-3 in 2013, UWE-4 is the next picosatellite
in the University of Wrzburg Experimental satellite program. UWE-4 is first from its series to have
integrated propulsion system and with a mission objective to demonstrate attitude and orbit control
using the miniature propulsion system. In future, this will pave the way to perform complicated
missions such as formation flying using picosatellites. Major challenge in UWE-4 is the integration of
the propulsion system (which includes both thrusters and power processing unit) into the 1U
CubeSat. Integrating the thruster into the Picosatellite has several constraints, few include
accommodation of the system within the structure at minimum mass and volume impact, structural
design to withstand the critical launch conditions.

In the scope of this master thesis project, the design of UWE-3 system arrangement is studied
and the regions of possible integration of thruster units are identified. The two propulsion systems
considered for the UWE-4 mission are the Micro Vacuum Arc Thrusters (VAT) developed at UniBW
in Munich, Germany and the NanoFEEP (highly miniaturized Field Emission Electric Propulsion)
thrusters developed at TUDresden, Germany. During design phase, different concepts are created for
the CubeSat rails to integrate the thrusters and the concepts are validated against the functional
requirements as well as the CubeSat design specifications. Detailed CAD designs are completed for
UWE-4 satellite using SolidWorks 2014. To validate the structural design, the CAD models are then
subjected to Finite Element Modeling and Analysis (structural and thermal) using Siemens NX CAE.
During static Structural analysis, various loading conditions and constraints are identified and
applied to the system. Later NX NASTRAN solver is used to study and simulate the impact on the
UWE-4 model. Also modal analysis was performed to study the natural frequencies of the system.
With the motivation to study the thermal behavior of the system in orbit, transient analysis for orbital
heating was performed using NX SPACE SYSTEMS THERMAL. The solution results from both
structural analysis and thermal analysis are validated for different scenarios. Based on the results
the generic design is qualified and expected to serve as a platform for future missions.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling for allowing me to be a part of ongoing space
mission and pursue research in the fascinating field of Space Engineering. I would like to express my
sincere thanks to Johnny Ejemalm from the Lulea University of Technology for supervising the thesis
work remotely.

I offer my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor MSc. Philip Bangert who has supported me
throughout my thesis work with his knowledge, resources, guidance and feedbacks. With his
supervision and constant help, I could able to finish the thesis in best possible way. I would like to
thank Stephan Busch for his valuable advice and suggestions.

Also, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mathias Pietzka from UniBW, Munich
and Daniel Bock from TU Dresden for their immense support throughout the thesis work.

I would also like to thank Ms. Ursula Shahmary, Ms. Heidi Schlieus, Ms. Anette Snllfot-
Brndstrm, and Ms. Maria Winneback for their continuous help to tackle the administrative tasks of
my student life in Germany and Sweden.

I want to thank Lekha, Saravanan and Sravani as my beloved friends and for being with me
from the very beginning of this fantastic SpaceMaster journey. Also, I want to thank all my fellow
SpaceMasters and other friends here in Wrzburg for making me feel at home.

Most importantly, I want to express thanks to my parents Rathinam and Manimegalai, for
providing me the best possible environment to grow and learn under all circumstances. I also thank
my sister Shobana and other family members who have supported me throughout my life. Finally, I
extend my gratitude to all my wonderful friends for helping and encouraging me to move forward in
my life and career.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables.................................................................................................................... v
List of Figures ................................................................................................................. vi
Acronyms ..................................................................................................................... viii
1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1
1.1 Project goals and Objectives ........................................................................................2
1.2 Outline of the report ...................................................................................................3

2. Background............................................................................................................................4
2.1 CubeSat & P-POD......................................................................................................4
2.2 Design Specifications ..................................................................................................5
2.3 UWE Platform ...........................................................................................................6

3. Theory & State of the Art........................................................................................................8

3.1 Micro Propulsion Systems ..........................................................................................8
3.1.1 Electric Micro propulsion .................................................................................8
3.1.2 Chemical Micro propulsion ............................................................................ 12
3.1.3 Cold Gas Thrusters ........................................................................................ 13
3.1.4 Summary....................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Structures ................................................................................................................. 15
3.3 Thermal Control....................................................................................................... 16
3.4 CubeSat Trends ........................................................................................................ 17
3.5 UWE-4 in comparison & challenges .......................................................................... 18

4. Design and Development...................................................................................................... 19

4.1 Anatomy of UWE-4 ................................................................................................. 21
4.2 CAD Design ............................................................................................................ 24
4.3 Thruster Integration .................................................................................................. 26
4.3.1 VAT propulsion system ................................................................................ 26
4.3.2 Miniaturized FEEP propulsion system ............................................................ 28
4.3.3 Thruster Design Suggestion ............................................................................ 30
4.4 Summary ................................................................................................................. 31
4.4.1 Mass Properties ............................................................................................. 31

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 4.4.2 Moment of Inertia .......................................................................................... 32

5. Finite Element Modeling (FEM) ........................................................................................... 33

5.1 Theory ..................................................................................................................... 33
5.2 FEM of UWE-4 ....................................................................................................... 34
5.3 Summary - Finite Element Modeling ......................................................................... 40

6. Finite Element Analysis ........................................................................................................ 41

6.1 Structural Analysis ................................................................................................... 42
6.1.1 Requirements and load determination ............................................................. 42
6.1.2 Pre-Processing - Summary .............................................................................. 45
6.2 Thermal Analysis ..................................................................................................... 46
6.2.1 Orbital Environment ...................................................................................... 46
6.2.2 Thermal Equilibrium...................................................................................... 48
6.2.3 Operating temperature Limitations ................................................................. 48
6.2.4 Thermal Simulation ....................................................................................... 49
6.2.5 Summary....................................................................................................... 51

7. Results ................................................................................................................................. 52
7.1 Structural Analysis ................................................................................................... 52
7.1.1 Static Analysis ............................................................................................... 52
7.1.2 Modal Analysis.............................................................................................. 59
7.2 Thermal Analysis ..................................................................................................... 61

8. Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 65
8.1 Future work ............................................................................................................. 67

9. Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 68

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Classification of satellites according to mass and the typical cost .......................................1

Table 2: Nano FEEP thruster performance details ....................................................................... 11

Table 3: Performance parameters of the monopropellant thruster system ...................................... 12

Table 4: Comparison between Electric and Chemical propulsion .................................................. 14

Table 5: Summary of current trends in Electric and Chemical Micro Propulsion ........................... 14

Table 6: CAD Design of Individual Subsystems........................................................................... 24

Table 7: Properties of UWE-4 Solar cell ...................................................................................... 25

Table 8: Summary of Mass Properties of the UWE -4 system ....................................................... 31

Table 9: Moment of Inertia for VAT concept ............................................................................... 32

Table 10: Moment of Inertia for FEEP concept............................................................................ 32

Table 11: Material Properties used for FEM/FEA ....................................................................... 36

Table 12: Mesh Summary of UWE-4 CubeSat ............................................................................. 40

Table 13: Summary of Spacecraft Loads ...................................................................................... 41

Table 14: Acceleration levels for payloads ................................................................................... 43

Table 15 : Possible load scenarios (Vertical and Horizontal arrangement) ..................................... 44

Table 16: Summary of Components Operating Temperature ....................................................... 48

Table 17: Loading directions, displacement and Max. VM Stress in Vertical arrangement ............. 52

Table 18: Loading directions, displacement and Max. VM Stress in Horizontal arrangement ......... 55

Table 19: Natural frequencies of the structure in the 5 to 2000 Hz range ....................................... 59

Table 20: Summary of Thermal analysis Solution ........................................................................ 61

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Illustration of the P-POD structure .................................................................................4

Figure 2: 1U CubeSat Design Specification Drawing .....................................................................6

Figure 3: UWE-3 Pico-satellite launched in Nov 2013 ....................................................................7

Figure 4: Schematic of Vacuum Arc Thrusters ...............................................................................9

Figure 5: Schematic of FEEP thruster ......................................................................................... 10

Figure 6: Laboratory model of the monopropellant thruster.......................................................... 12

Figure 7: Cold Gas Micro thruster from Marotta Controls Inc. ..................................................... 13

Figure 8: ISIS CubeSat Structure................................................................................................. 15

Figure 9: Solid and Skeleton structure of 1U CubeSat .................................................................. 15

Figure 10: UWE-4 concept with Integrated highly miniaturized FEEP propulsion system ............. 20

Figure 11: UWE-4 concept with Integrated Vacuum Arc Thruster ................................................ 21

Figure 12: Overview of UWE-4 Subsystems with VAT thruster .................................................... 23

Figure 13: Overview of UWE-4 Subsystems with FEEP thruster .................................................. 23

Figure 14: UWE-4 rail with VAT initial concept ........................................................................ 26

Figure 15: UWE-4 rail with VAT - Concept 2 ............................................................................ 27

Figure 16: UWE-4 rail with VAT - Concept 3 ............................................................................ 27

Figure 17: FEEP thruster integration Concept 1 ........................................................................ 28

Figure 18: UWE-4 rail with NanoFEEP - Concept 2 .................................................................... 29

Figure 19: UWE-4 rail with NanoFEEP - Concept 3 .................................................................... 29

Figure 20: Current design and Proposed design of NanoFEEP Thruster ....................................... 30

Figure 21: Two-dimensional region subdivided in finite elements ................................................. 33

Figure 22: Different 1D, 2D and 3D basic elements ..................................................................... 34

Figure 23: NX CAE Simulation Navigator & FEM window ribbon ........................................... 35

Figure 24: Simplified +Z axis panel, mesh representation, bolt spider arrangement ....................... 37

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Figure 25: NX CAE - 2D Mesh window...................................................................................... 38

Figure 26: UWE-4 rail Meshing and Mesh information................................................................ 39

Figure 27: Finite Element Model of UWE-4 CubeSat .................................................................. 39

Figure 28: CubeSat loading conditions a. vertical arrangement b. Horizontal arrangement ............ 43

Figure 29: Sample loading condition (vertical arrangement with x+, y+, z+)................................. 45

Figure 30: Energy balance between Space environment and CubeSat............................................ 47

Figure 31: NX CAE Thermal Simulation Navigator .................................................................. 49

Figure 32: Orbital Heating Input parameters in NX Thermal ........................................................ 50

Figure 33: Overview of developed thermal model before simulation ............................................. 51

Figure 34: Sample results - Case 1 of Vertical arrangement ........................................................... 53

Figure 35: Sample results - Case 3 of Vertical arrangement ........................................................... 54

Figure 36: Major area of stress development in case 9 of Horizontal arrangement ....................... 56

Figure 37: Major area of stress development in case 5 of Horizontal arrangement ....................... 56

Figure 38: Sample results - Case 10 of Horizontal arrangement .................................................... 57

Figure 39: Sample results - Case 13 of Horizontal arrangement .................................................... 58

Figure 40: UWE-3 test result for resonance search (Z direction) 5 - 2000Hz .................................. 60

Figure 41: Panel temperatures of UWE-4 [from Simulation] ........................................................ 63

Figure 42: Actual panel temperatures of UWE-3 [in orbit]............................................................ 63

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 ACRONYMS

ADCS Attitude Determination and Control System

CAD Computer Aided Design

CDS CubeSat Design Specification

COTS Commercially off the shelf

FEA Finite Element Analysis

FEEP Field Emission Electric propulsion

FEM Finite Element modeling

OBDH Onboard Data Handling

PPU Power Processing Unit

Uni-BW Universitt der Bundeswehr (University of the

German Federal Armed Forces)

UWE University-Wrzburg-Experimental satellite

VAT Vacuum Arc Thruster

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 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

1. Introduction

W ith Sputnik successfully launched into orbit in 1957, more than 7750 satellites were
launched into space over the last five decades. And, currently around 3800 satellites
are remaining in space, but 1250 satellites only remain functional (Lafleur, 2015). With major expense
being spent on the satellite launches, the importance of the size factor and mass of the satellite systems
gathered more attention. In recent years, researchers are working towards the co-ordination of
multiple small satellites perform the function single large satellite. The classification of satellites
presented in (Rycroft et al., 2002) according to mass and the estimated launch costs are provided below.

Table 1: Classification of satellites according to mass and the typical cost

Class Mass (Kg) Cost (US $ million)

Large satellites > 1000 >140
Medium satellites 500 to 1000 50 - 140
Mini satellites 100 to 500 10 - 30
Micro satellites 10 100 36
Nano satellites 1 10 .3 1.5
Pico satellites .1 1 < .3

Different organization such as Universities, Small and Medium Enterprises [SME], Defense
organizations are being part of small satellites development. Various spin-off organizations are
recently evolving by providing innovative solutions to the problems faced by CubeSats. During last
five years (2010-14), there was a tremendous growth in the field of small satellites (<10kg), the
numbers were increased from 18 (2010) to 130 (2014) (Lafleur, 2015). In addition to that the utilization
of CubeSat for earth observation mission has increased from 12% (of total 202) during 2009-2013 to
55% (of total 650) in 2014-2016 (Buchen, 2014) and this represents significance in using CubeSat for
earth observation missions. Nevertheless, the potential of using multiple small satellites doing the
function of single large satellite is yet to be fully realized. To achieve full potential of CubeSats,
individual subsystems of the satellite needs improvement and this will ensure a much efficient and
reliable operation in space. Active researches are going on across the world in different areas (attitude
determination and control, propulsion, communication, etc.) towards equipping CubeSats with better
solution. Few of these researches are summarized in the following chapters.

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 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project goals and Objectives

In University of Wrzburg Experimental Satellites (UWE) program, a roadmap was

established aiming the development and demonstration of technologies to realize a cooperative
formation flying of picosatellites for Earth observation mission. Following the successful launch and
operation of UWE-3 (3rd satellite in UWE series) in 2013, UWE-4 began its journey with the objective
to perform orbital maneuvers in a controlled means and pave way for future formation flying mission.
To achieve the mission objective, UWE-4 is supplemented with micro-electric propulsion system and
a power processing unit (PPU). The micro propulsion system will be provided by the partnering
university and currently, micro-Vacuum Arc Thrusters (VAT) from UniBW, Munich and
miniaturized Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) system from TU Dresden are in
consideration.

To ensure a successful mission, the structural design of the satellite should be provided greater
attention such that it withstands the stress and other forces generated during the launch. CubeSat
design framework provides specifications for a suitable design, however, excessive design would add
cost and consume more mass than others structures. Therefore, optimum design is the major necessity
of the every CubeSat. The primary objective is to ensure optimum design of the satellite/platform to
withstand expected launch conditions and orbital environment.

Within this scope, the existing design of the UWE-platform is modified to integrate the
propulsion system (which includes four thrusters and PPU) and to keep the mass distributed over
entire satellite and the center of gravity as per the CubeSat design specifications (with 2 cm). To aid
the process detailed CAD models are created using Solidworks 2014, later from the CAD model, the
center of gravity and the moment of inertia are calculated. To validate the design, Structural analysis
is performed using Finite Element Software (NX Nastran) proper loads distribution and constraints
are applied as per the conditions during launch sequence. Also, Orbital heating analysis is proposed
to study the thermal behavior of the satellite using NX space systems Thermal Suite. A transient
thermal analysis is performed to analyze the temperature distribution over the satellite and its
components. These data are very important as it was not available earlier to visualize the orbital
performance of the satellite. For analysis, orbital parameters, orientation of the satellite and radiation
parameters are provided as input to simulate the orbital environment. The results will enable to
identify the thermal condition of the inside components and outer structure of the satellite at any given
time in orbit.

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 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

1.2 Outline of the report

This report will describe the structural design of the UWE-4 picosatellite towards the integration of
the thrusters, analysis of the structural subsystem to satisfy the CDS requirements and thermal analysis
towards analyzing the orbital heating performance of the system.

In chapter 2, an overview of the CubeSat Design Specification (CDS) and guidelines provided by
CalPoly towards CubeSat design are discussed. Later in the chapter the overview on the development
of UWE- platform and the objectives of past mission are discussed.

Chapter 3, contains the survey of the state of the art propulsion system to fit into CubeSat
requirements, COTS products, and the trends in CubeSat design and mission objectives. Later UWE-
4 mission objective and challenges provided in comparison are discussed

Chapter 4, will describe the CAD design of UWE-platform, and the concept to integrate the thrusters
are discussed. Also, other details such as the CAD models of individual components and the overview
of the structural assembly are also provided.

In chapter 5, the theory of Finite Element Modeling (FEM) will be discussed and also the details on
implementation in the UWE-4 model in preparation for further analysis is discussed. This chapter also
provides information on the material selection and the summary of the meshing information of the
entire system.

In chapter 6, the loading conditions and the requirements for the structural analysis are discussed.
Later, for the orbital heating analysis, the orbital environment conditions and parameters such as
operating parameters of the components are included.

Chapter 7 and 8 summarize the obtained results and provide suggestions for future work.

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 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND

2. Background

2.1 CubeSat & P-POD

CubeSat was originally developed as a result of project-based learning experiment at Stanford
University in 1994 to study microsatellites. As a result of the process, first CubeSat was launched in
1994-95. As shown in Table 1 CubeSat are belong to class of picosatellites, their dimensions are usually
measured in CubeSat Units and termed as U. 1U CubeSat measures 10 x 10 x 10 cm and should
weigh less than 1.33 kg. Usual configurations of CubeSat are 1U, 2U, and 3U. According to CubeSat
Design (CDS), 3U measures 10 x 10 x 34 cm and weight should be less than 4 kg (CalPoly, 2014). In
recent years, the configurations are increased to 6U, with the dimensions range 10 x 20 x 30 cm for
6U and currently under research to improve the capabilities and application of CubeSat. CubeSats are
usually delivered as the secondary payload to the orbit alongside the primary satellite.

Figure 1: Illustration of the P-POD structure

Image source (CalPoly, 2014)

The common deployment mechanism for a CubeSat is the P-POD (Poly picosatellite Orbital
Deployer) developed by CalPoly and its main function is to ensure the safety of the CubeSat and
protect the launch vehicle (Quiroz-Garfias et al., 2007), primary payload, and other CubeSat.
Standardized specification ensures safety of the entire launch system, even though there is a failure of
single CubeSat. Single P-POD can accommodate 3 units of 1U CubeSat or 1 unit of 3U CubeSat,
possibly other combinations with 1U & 2U. Single Launch vehicle capable to hold multiple P-PODs
and can be delivered to orbit with a single launch. Other Deployer designs for Cubesats includes SPL
(Single Picosatellite Launcher) from Astro und Feinwerktechnik Adlershof GmbH, Berlin, Germany

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 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND

(UWE-2 launched using this launcher), T-POD from University of Tokyo, ISIPOD CubeSat Deployer
(ISIS Payload Orbital Dispenser) from ISISpace, Netherlands.

Functionalities of CubeSat are severely limited by their size. Mass budget and power budget
available for the mission dictates most of the mission objective. Power must be distributed wisely to
CubeSat subsystems to guarantee mission success as the power generated from solar cells are very
much limited. The efficient mass distribution helps to maintain an optimum balance during launch
and also operations. Nowadays CubeSat has sophisticated subsystems and payloads thanks to the
development of microelectronics, enabling designers to build more complex systems.

With growing interests from small scale industries and Universities towards space research,
CubeSat offers them the possibility to develop and test new technologies in orbit. With proper
frameworks and accessibility, it reduces the complications and provides easy access. Also, it facilitates
students and hobbyists, to experiment their interests with relatively minimal cost and with higher
efficiency. Based on the CubeSat launch data (Buchen, 2014), there were 158 Nano/microsatellites (1-
50 kg) actually launched in the year 2014 which represents an significant increase of nearly 72% over
previous year. Over the next fifteen years, thousands of commercial small satellites (101-500 kg) are
expected to launch.

2.2 Design Specifications

CubeSat Design Specification (CDS) was originally drafted by Californian Polytechnic State
University in the year 1999. The document provides set of general as well as specific requirements
(Mechanical, Electrical and Testing) need to be followed during design life cycle of every CubeSat.
CDS ensures the safety of the launch vehicle, CubeSat itself and other similar CubeSat launched
during the mission. The representation of 1U CubeSat is presented below from CDS.

According to the mechanical requirements, stated in CDS (CalPoly, 2014)

Thermal expansion of the CubeSat should be similar to that of the P-POD material (Al 7075-T73)
Rails on CubeSat must be smooth, flat, and hard anodised to prevent cold welding from the launch
environment and minimise friction during deployment.
CubeSat design tolerances are based on PPOD tolerances and specifications

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 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND

Figure 2: 1U CubeSat Design Specification Drawing

Image source (CalPoly, 2014)

2.3 UWE Platform

UWE (University of Wurzburgs Experimental satellite), a CubeSat program from University
of Wrzburg, had launched three CubeSat so far into orbit. UWE satellites are built on the 1U CubeSat
platform. All the satellites in UWE platform complies with the latest CubeSat Design Specification at
the time of launch.

UWE-1: UWE-1 was the first satellite in UWE series launched in the year 2005 with the mission
objective to optimize the telecommunication link using Internet Protocol parameters with respect to
the challenging space environment (Schilling, 2006). Successful demonstration of mission operations
of UWE-1 led to further research and improvement in technology to be implemented in further
missions.

UWE-2: The established basic system was utilized in UWE-2 to develop further. UWE-2 had the
objective to test and demonstrate attitude and orbit determination. It was launched in 2009 onboard
an Indian PSLV rocket.

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 CHAPTER 2. BACKGROUND

UWE-3: UWE-3 was developed with a goal to have robust and flexible pico-satellite architecture for
future UWE missions. The mission objective of UWE-3 was to demonstrate a suitable miniature 3-
axis attitude control approach, based on magnetorquers and one reaction wheel in orbit (Busch et al.,
2014). To support attitude determination UWE-3 has Sun sensors (on all faces), gyros, and
magnetometers (in 3-axis), and to support attitude control system it incorporates six magnetic torques
mounted on each face and one reaction wheel. UWE -3 was successfully launched in Nov 2013
onboard a Dnepr rocket from Yasny launch base located in Russia. For details on the ADCS
performance and observation from UWE-3 mission please refer (Busch et al., 2014), (Reichel et al., 2013)
& (Bangert et al., 2014).

Figure 3: UWE-3 Pico-satellite launched in Nov 2013

UWE-4: The mission objective of UWE-4 is to demonstrate attitude and orbit control using a
miniature electric propulsion system. In order to achieve its mission objective, UWE-4 will be
integrated with propulsion units supplied by partnering university. With limited Space and Mass
budget in UWE platform (to comply with CubeSat standards), integrating a new propulsion subsystem
and power processing unit is a challenging task.

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

3. Theory & State of the Art

3.1 Micro Propulsion Systems

In recent years, there are growing interests in the space community towards the development of
micro-propulsion system for small satellites (especially CubeSat). The ongoing researches are mainly
aimed at enhancing the mission capabilities of CubeSat and the propulsion units are expected to
deliver thrust values in the range of mN (milli-newtons) and the impulse bits in the range of Ns
(micro-newton-seconds).

Propulsion systems are mainly classified into two categories based on their means of thrust
generation and they are namely Electrical and Chemical Propulsion system. Electric micro propulsion
is mainly considered for Station-keeping, attitude control, formation-flying because of its ability to
produce relatively low thrust than chemical propulsion. Miniaturization in space technology always
proved to be hard with the harsh environment in space. Typically CubeSat does not feature propulsion
systems onboard the satellite, though few 3U CubeSat is already flown with propulsion system (for
e.g. Delfi-n3Xt) but proved to be more difficult with the 1U CubeSat. CubeSat imposes several
limitations on the mass, power, space available for the individual subsystems, this demands the highly
miniaturized and efficient propulsion system.

3.1.1 Electric Micro propulsion

Electric propulsion system utilizes electric energy to energize and accelerate the propellant. They are
mainly classified into three types (Jahn, 1968):

1. Electrostatic 2. Electromagnetic 3. Electrothermal

Electrostatic propulsion work on the principle of acceleration of an ionized propellant gas by the
application of electric fields. E.g. gridded ion thrusters, vacuum arc thrusters (VATs), colloid thrusters,
and field emission electric propulsion (FEEP).

Electromagnetic propulsion works with the acceleration of ionized propellant gas by the application
of both electric and magnetic fields. E.g. hall thrusters, pulsed plasma thrusters (PPT), pulsed inductive
thrusters (PIT) and magneto-plasma-dynamic thrusters (MPDT).

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

Electrothermal propulsion based on the acceleration of a propellant gas by electrical heat addition and
expansion through a convergent/divergent nozzle. E.g. resistor jets and arc jets.

3.1.1.1 Micro Vacuum Arc Thrusters

Operation Principle: During the operation of the Vacuum Arc Thruster (VAT), a high voltage is
applied between two electrodes that are kept in vacuum and separated by a thin layer of insulator; this
large potential difference results in vacuum arc which ionizes and discharges the cathode material.
The constant discharge is maintained by attaching to the cathode in localized areas (<10m), known
as cathode spots. These cathode spot operations efficiently produces a highly ionized plasma and the
high-pressure gradient from the vacuum arc accelerates the plasma discharge away from the thrusters
(Wright et al., 2014). The expected Spot lifetime is <0.1 s and each spot can produce up to hundred
amperes by field enhanced thermionic emission (Kronhaus et al., 2013). Vacuum arc discharges can be
operated in pulses with no compromise to plasma production efficiency, this is very much helpful to
adjust the duty cycle to match the power available from the satellite (Polk et al., 2008). Performance of
various cathode materials (such as Ti, Cr, Y, W) are summarized in (Polk et al., 2008). As the solid
cathode is consumed in the discharge chamber, a feeding mechanism for solid cathode is necessary to
ensure continuous operation of the thruster.

Figure 4: Schematic of Vacuum Arc Thrusters

Image source (Pietzka et al., 2013)

Micro Vacuum Arc Thruster from UniBW, Munich is intended to address the mission
objective of UWE-4 with four thruster heads. With mass and size restriction in UWE platform (max.
150-200 g, 80x7x7 mm for each thruster head, and 90x90x15 mm for PPU PCB), the physical
parameters have been provided special care to fit the needs of the system. The propulsion system also

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

designed to meet the power budget limitations with Umax = 3.8 ~ 4.2 V and Imax = 0.5 A through
sophisticated PPU and a reliable ignition mechanism (Pietzka et al., 2013).

Other researches: Based on the survey and major ongoing researches are in the field of Vacuum
Arc thrusters presented in (Wright et al., 2014), studies are carried to assess the impact of magnetic field
around the thrusters in the VAT at the George Washington University, USA. The results suggests that
it drastically improve the performance of the thrusters. At University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
researches are carried out to study the thruster performance based on different shapes of the cathode
material.

3.1.1.2 FieldEmission Electric Propulsion Thrusters

Operation Principle: A Liquid-Metal-Ion Source (LMIS) is the fundamental element of a Field-

Emission-Electric Propulsion (FEEP) system. LMIS consists of a propellant reservoir filled with
metals of low melting points (like Indium 156.6 C, gallium 29.77 C) and has an extended sharp
needle at the end. During the operation, the reservoir is heated up and once it reached the thermal
equilibrium, a high voltage is applied between the needle and the extractor ring placed next to it. This
results in the formation of Taylor Cone in front of the needle (Seifert et al., 2014). Due to large potential
difference, the liquid metal is evaporated and ionized. The generated ions are accelerated towards the
extractor ring and leave the thruster with velocity >100 km/s. As a result, N thrusts with high specific
impulse of several thousand seconds can be achieved. (Bock et al., 2014).

Figure 5: Schematic of FEEP thruster

Image source (Ceruti et al., 2007)

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

Nano FEEP thrusters designed in TU Dresden uses gallium as a propellant because of its low
melting point which inturn equals to low heating power requirement for liquifying the propellant
needle. The NanoFEEP thruster measures 13x21 mm with a total weight of less than 6 g per
thruster. The thruster design is compatible with both capillary and porous tungsten needle designs.
The gallium propellant is stored in tantalum reservoir which can hold upto 42 mm3 and this volume
is sufficient for operation of several hundred hours to few thousand hours (Bock et al., 2014).

Table 2: Nano FEEP thruster performance details

Image source (Bock et al., 2014)

~ 13 mm
Thruster Size
L ~ 21 mm

Mass
150 g
(4 Thrusters and Electronics Board)

Specific Impulse ~ 6,000 s *

Operating Time ~ 1,800 h *

Total Impulse (4 thrusters) ~ 60 Ns *

Delta-v on a 2U CubeSat (4 thrusters) ~ 30 m/s *

Thrust 0.05 22 N

Propellant Gallium

Feeding Self-Feeding

Beam Power-to-Thrust Ratio 60 90 W/mN**

* At average thrust of 1-2 N

** At max. thrust of 22 N Thruster Size

Other reseraches: Various ongoing researches are in the fiels of FEEP especially for CubeSat
missions. It includes IL-FEEP (ionic liquid FEEP) is currently under research in ALTA space, Italy
set to be used in 2U CubeSat mission. The thruster configuration allows for a total impulse of 2000
Ns corresponding to a total V of 1 km/s for a 2U configuration and 0.5 km/s for a 3U. For 1U
CubeSat, 55% of mass has to be allocated for the ILFEEP subsystem (Marcuccio et al., 2012).
However, the above condition is not efficient in the case of 1U Cubesat.

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

3.1.2 Chemical Micro propulsion

Operation Principle: Chemical micro propulsion system operates based on a chemical reaction to
produce high Pressure and high temperature gas that accelerates out of miniature nozzle. Chemical
propellant used to produce the thrusts can be liquid, solid or hybrid. Monopropellant thrusters are
more suitable for CubeSat. Monopropellant thrusters mostly uses Hydrogen peroxide or Hydrazine.

Figure 6: Laboratory model of the monopropellant thruster

Image source (Tajmar et al., 2011)

Several studies are currenlty ongoing in the area of monopropellant thrusters. Monopropellant
system offers the simiplicity in design and operation than the bi-propellant system. Detailed analysis
of the monopropellant system is dicussed in (Tajmar et al., 2011). For more on the survey of chemical
propulsion systems, please refer (Mueller et al., 2014).

Table 3: Performance parameters of the monopropellant thruster system

Source: (Tajmar et al., 2011)

Thrust 100 - 1,500 mN

Specific impulse 140 - 180 s
V 50 - 300 m/s
Mass flow rate 0.055 - 0.9 g/s
Lifetime goal 16 hours

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

3.1.3 Cold Gas Thrusters

Operation Principle: Cold gas thrusters operates based on the principle that when a pressurized
gaseous propellant is allowed to pass through a valve and nozzle produces the required thrust. The
thruster design is relatively simpler and cheaper compared to other thrusters. Typically, N2 is used as
propellant and these thruster offers low-impulse (ISP < 100 sec) than other thruster designs. The thrust
range of 5 m N 105 N is produced depending on the performance of thrusters. The thruster hardware
design is very lightweight and compact, this makes it suitable option for CubeSat.

COTS Products: Moog produces lot of thruster systems as COTS products but the power level
requirements for the thrusters operations are relatively high. The power level requirement for the
operation of the thruster makes them non-suitable option for 1U CubeSat. Marotta Controls, Inc. has
developed a unique cold gas micro thruster and electronics driver combination that utilizes <1W of
power at peak conditions and response time < 5 ms. These thrusters weighs around 70 g and has
operating temperatures limits -18 to +50C (Mueller et al., 2014).

Figure 7: Cold Gas Micro thruster from Marotta Controls Inc.

Image source: Marotta Inc

3.1.4 Summary

Many thrusters are currently under development, however very few will fit in to CubeSat
requirements because of the power, structural and size as the limitations imposed by CubeSats. Based
on the comparative analysis, efficiency of Electric propulsion is higher than chemical propulsion
system. Also, Specific impulse (ISP) is found to be 30 times higher than the corresponding chemical
propulsion system. Micro Electric propulsion has advantage of being light weight and providing the
increased functional capability. Comparison between Electric and Chemical propulsion are shown in
the table below.

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

Table 4: Comparison between Electric and Chemical propulsion

Electric Propulsion Chemical Propulsion

Low thrust (N) High thrust (mN - N)
High Specific Impulse (ISP) Low Specific Impulse (ISP)
~500 - 10,000 sec 320 sec
Low propellant mass flow rate; High propellant mass flow rate;
high velocity low velocity

Table 5: Summary of current trends in Electric and Chemical Micro Propulsion

Source (Tajmar et al., 2011)

Electric micro propulsion Chemical micro propulsion

Single FEEP mN-FEEP PPT Bipropellant Monopropellant

~5cm ~10cm ~3cm ~2.5cm

~0.5 x 0.7 x
Size (cm)
3.0mm
~10cm ~10cm ~7cm ~5cm
<0.2
80g thrusters + 300gthruster +
Mass (kg) (4unitsincl. <0.1 <0.06
700gPCU 1kgPCU
PCU)
Power 0.5 (heater) 7 (heater) 1-2 <3 (valves) <1.5

Isp(s) >5,000 >4,000 >500 290330 153

Total Impulse >30* >600* 50500 >5000 >2000

MIB ( Ns) <5103 <5103 1030

Thrust 0.115N 0.1300 N ~10N 13N 150900mN

Indium or Ethanol, RP-1;
Propellant Indium Teflon H2O2 (87.5%)
Gallium H2O2 (87.5%)
Feed/operating
Self-feeding Self-feeding N/A 612bar 36bar
Pressure (bar)
Flow/consumption (depends on (depends on
N/A 0.21g/s 0.10.4g/s
Rate (g/s) thrust) thrust)
Pulse rate (Hz) >50Hz** >50Hz** 0.53 TBD TBD

Pulse duration (s) ** ** ~10 s TBD TBD

Exit diameter 48mm 48mm ~mm 15mm 5mm

Beam power-to-thrust
50*** 80*** N/A N/A N/A
ratio (W/mN)
Thrust efficiency >50% >50%
Technology readiness
6 3 3 3 3
level (TRL)
* Depends on reservoir size and number of LMISs in cluster.
** Depends on power supply.
*** Excluding PCU losses and heater.

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

3.2 Structures
Structural system of the CubeSat is the primary candidate of consideration during the
development life cycle. To ease the design and development process various COTS structural systems
are currently available in the market. Prominent ones for the 1U CubeSat structures are from Pumpkin
Inc. (USA) and ISISpace (The Netherlands). Modular 1U unit CubeSat structure that are
commercially available can accommodate various configurations and operates within the CubeSat
design requirements.

Figure 8: ISIS CubeSat Structure

Image source: (Cubesatshop, 2012)

Figure 9: Solid and Skeleton structure of 1U CubeSat

Image source: (Pumpkin.Inc, 2012)

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

Typically, the structures are classified into Primary, Secondary and Tertiary structures.
Primary Structure includes Side Frames, Ribs and constitutes structural mass of approx. 100 g,
whereas Secondary Structure includes shear panels and PCB mounting elements and totally Primary
and Secondary Structure have combined mass of approx. 200 g. The structures are usually
accompanied with detachable side panels, double kill switch. Outside Structure dimensions (l x w x
h) 100 x 100 x 113.5 mm, Inside Envelope (l x w x h) 98.4 x 98.4 x 98.4 mm, Thermal Range (min -
max) -40 to +80 C (Cubesatshop, 2012).

The CubeSat structures are mainly made of aluminum alloy (as directed in CDS document)
because of its reliability, mass and strength to withstand the launch conditions. Studies are currently
being done in using composites as base material for CubeSat structures. 3D Printed structures are
also under investigation to be used as primary/secondary structures.

3.3 Thermal Control

There are two ways of controlling the thermal environment in the satellite active cooling and
passive cooling.

a. Active cooling implies thermal equilibrium achieved by actively implementing the cooling
methods. The available power limits and size of the 1U CubeSat generally constraints to
implement active thermal control system.
b. Passive cooling implies equilibrium achieved by conduction or radiation without any
additional means.

Typically CubeSat are employed with passive thermal control as the power availability of 1U
CubeSat are moderately low and it is very difficult to employ active thermal control system. Passive
thermal control is relatively less expensive and low risk, and has been proved to be reliable. Thermal
transfer mainly distributed by the primary and secondary CubeSat structures. Thermal insulation such
as Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) and also black coating are done outer surface of the CubeSat to make
it more thermally stable. MLI are mainly provided to Temperature sensitive devices such as batteries.
Aerogels are currently under research in NASA as an alternative solutions to thermal insulations.

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

3.4 CubeSat Trends

Based on the trends in the CubeSat technology, lot of CubeSat are already in development
process across various universities and the notable ones include SOMP-2

As stated in (Messier, 2015), since 2013, in the framework of QB-50, few CubeSat missions and
development activities funded by ESA under the In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) program and the
notable ones namely QARMAN, SIMBA, PICASSO, GOMX-3

QARMAN is the QubeSat for Aero thermodynamic Research and Measurements on AblatioN" of Von
Karman Institute, Belgium, developed in the framework of QB50 project. QARMAN is a 3-unit
CubeSat mission to demonstrate re-entry technologies. The technology demonstration mission
involves novel heat shield materials, new passive aerodynamic drag and attitude stabilization systems,
and the transmission of telemetry data during reentry via data relay satellites in low-Earth orbit. The
satellite is set to be launched in 2016 as part of the European Commission-funded multi-CubeSat QB50
flight program.

SIMBA is the Sun-earth IMBAlance radiometer 3U CubeSat mission led by the Royal Meteorological
Institute, Belgium. The mission is to measure the Total Solar Irradiance and Earth Radiation Budget
climate variables with a miniaturized radiometer instrument. The satellite is set to be launched in 2016
as part of the QB50 flight program.

PICASSO is the PICosatellite for Atmospheric and Space Science Observations a 3U CubeSat mission
designed to investigate the upper layers of Earth atmosphere. The mission activities also involves to
measure the Stratospheric Ozone distribution, Mesospheric Temperature profile and Electron density
in the ionosphere using a miniaturized multi-spectral imager for limb sounding of solar disk, and a
multi-Needle Langmuir Probe. The satellite is set to be launched in 2016 as part of the QB50 flight
program.

OPS-SAT is a technology demonstrator to test out radically new control systems and techniques. Its
a 3U CubeSat with deployable solar panels. In order to achieve the mission objective an experimental
software will be uploaded to the satellite each day and its onboard computer is 10 times more powerful
than any current ESA spacecraft of its size. OPS-SAT will be an in-orbit test-bed for On-board software
applications, Advanced communication protocols, Compression techniques, Demonstration of
advanced software-defined radio concepts, Optical communication from ground to space,

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 CHAPTER 3. THEORY & STATE OF THE ART

Experiments using cameras, attitude control, scheduling and autonomy, Experiments with ground-
based applications can also be hosted (ESA, 2015). It is expected to launch in Q3/Q4 2017.

The other activities that are commenced in 2013-2014 includes (Messier, 2015),

- ISISpace, The Netherlands is working on the development of a S-band transmitter prototype

compatible with the ESA ground station network
- ISISpace also works on the development of miniaturized star tracker prototype
- C3S, Hungary is working on the development of prototype for double redundant OBC, COM
and EPS and a structure with backplane inter-connection system for rapid satellite integration
- Swiss Space center is working on the Active Debris Removal (ADR) technologies for later sub-
scale demonstration at low cost on a future CubeSat IOD mission
- Remote Sensing with Cooperative Nanosatellites funded by SYSNOVA initiative as a part of
technology assessment scheme in ESAs General Studies Program
- Nanosatellites for commercial telecom services is also under research funded by the ARTES
1 program.

3.5 UWE-4 in comparison & challenges

Currently both the VAT and NanoFEEP propulsion systems are in consideration. The major
structural requirement of UWE-4 comes from the thruster integration and we need the customized
CubeSat rail design to integrate the thrusters. The above mentioned COTS structures are not suitable
for the current requirements and the customized CubeSat rails are very much necessary to fulfill the
mission objective.

With the limited amount of space available inside the structure, including a new subsystem of
4 thrusters and a PPU is a major challenge in term of mass distribution and balancing of the system.
Mass distribution is a major task, as CDS suggest the center of gravity of the satellite should be within
2cm in all axis (X, Y, and Z). This will reduce unwanted tumbling of the satellite once it is in orbit.

The integration of thruster should be taken care such that it should not be more exposed to the
space environment and the harsh conditions might affect the performance of the system. UWE-4 will
be employed for passive thermal control and will be provided with MLI around the batteries and other
subsystems to keep the temperature relatively stable.

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4. Design and Development

This section describes the structural design of UWE-4 CubeSat which includes the anatomy
of the system, initial concepts to integrate the thrusters, detailed Mechanical CAD designs and other
parameters such as Mass distribution, and Moment of inertia of the system calculated from the CAD
designs are provided at the end of this chapter.

Modular Design: UWE-3s structure was designed with consideration to be more simple and
efficient. With the intention to reduce the assembly time, the platform was designed to support all
the subsystems through the backplane and this allows easy integration of all electronic modules
through pin arrangement. As stated in (Bangert et al., 2014), UWE-3 features a
a dual-redundant low power onboard computer,
a redundant and scalable distributed electrical power system,
a fully redundant UHF communication system and
an attitude determination and control system capable of continuous operation

UWE-4 retains similar configuration from its predecessor UWE-3 with some modular
upgrades. UWE-4 is additionally supplied with the Power processing unit and the thrusters to
constitute the propulsion subsystem. The entire system comprises for the Front access panel, Attitude
Determination and Control System (ADCS), Onboard Data Handling System (OBDH),
Communication board, Power units with battery covered in Multi-Layer Insulation, Wheel Drive
unit attached to ADCS board, and additionally the new Power processing Unit (PPU) for the
thrusters and the micro propulsion units integrated into the four rails which constitute the primary
structure of the picosatellite. With UWE-3 already packed with all subsystems, it is challenging to
integrate the PPU and thrusters within the least amount of space available.

With the power processing unit in place, the PCBs arrangement are provided care to maintain
the center of gravity which in turn avoid any unwanted inertial movement while the satellite is in
orbit. As specified in CDS the CubeSat center of gravity shall be located within 2 cm from its
geometric center in X, Y and Z direction as per 1U standards. The schematics and architecture for
the UWE platform are already put forth in place; this allows partnering university to manufacture
the PPU electronics as per the specifications and make it ready to fit into the current system.

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Two thruster systems were selected for preliminary studies, Micro Vacuum Arc thrusters from
University of Armed forces Munich, Germany and NanoFEEP (Field emission Electric propulsion
system) from the TU Dresden, Germany. Both thruster works on different principles, the operating
conditions are also different from each other. VAT is smaller than the FEEP thruster. Initial concepts
were developed to integrate the thrusters into the CubeSat rails. This provides more suitable
conditions and utilizes available space in the CubeSat. The concepts were shown in the Figure 10 and
Figure 11 below.

Figure 10: UWE-4 concept with Integrated highly miniaturized FEEP propulsion system

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Figure 11: UWE-4 concept with Integrated Vacuum Arc Thruster

4.1 Anatomy of UWE-4

The following image shows the anatomy of UWE-4. The subsystems include

1. Communication subsystem
2. OBDH (Onboard Data Handling)
3. ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control) (with Wheel Drive unit)
4. Power Subsystem (batteries, solar cells)
5. Structures (rail, panels, screws, spacers)
6. Propulsion (Thrusters and PPU)

The attitude determination system consists of three types of sensors: magnetometers, sun
sensors, and gyroscopes. Attitude control is mainly achieved with magnetorquers through the air coils
mounted on the inside of outer panels. The satellite also carries a miniaturized reaction wheel mounted
in between the ADCS and power board, intended for control maneuvers. The primary set of magnetic
sensors is single-axis hall sensor devices mounted on the ADCS board and the secondary set are
mounted on the inner side of the each panel. The gyroscopes are single-axis MEMS devices mounted
orthogonally to each other on the ADCS board. There is a wheel drive unit attached to the ADCS

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

board as a secondary board and this board is intended to control the reaction wheel supplied by Astro
und Feinwerktechnik Adlershof GmbH.

The outer panels of the satellite are designed to be multi-functional. The sun sensors are
located on the panel on all six sides and measures angles with a large FOV of 150 towards the
brightest object in view and capable of determining the direction of incident light with an angular
resolution of 2.7 and an accuracy of about 5 (Bangert et al., 2014). Magnetorquers and along with
magnetometers are also mounted on the inside of the panels. Two GaAs solar cells are mounted on
the outer surface of each panel which are helpful in generating the required power for the satellite.

Onboard Data Handling Subsystem is the core of the satellite and has control over all the other
subsystems. OBDH consists of two micro-controllers functions in a Master-Slave configuration. Also,
it features a Toggle watchdog, power cycling unit and supporting electronics. OBDH is also
responsible for storing and transmitting the housekeeping data to the ground station.

Power board carries two Li-Po batteries with storage capacity of 2600 mAh each and by default
it provides two voltage levels 3.3 V and 5.0 V to all subsystems. CubeSats energy is mainly generated
from the solar cells on the six outer panels. With 30 percentage efficiency of the solar cells, the system
is expected to generate 4.0 ~ 4.5 W depending on the solar flux.

Propulsion System will comprise of four thrusters mounted on the corner CubeSat rails and
also supplemented with additional electronics to control the operation of thrusters. The details on the
design of power processing unit for the vacuum arc thrusters are discussed in detail in (Pietzka et al.,
2013). For the NanoFEEP thruster, the design and testing of the electronics system are discussed in
detail in (Bock et al., 2014).

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Figure 12: Overview of UWE-4 Subsystems with VAT thruster

Figure 13: Overview of UWE-4 Subsystems with FEEP thruster

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4.2 CAD Design

This section describes the CAD design of individual subsystem and its properties. The CAD
software used is SOLIDWORKS 2014. Solid modeling is used to complete the model. The models
are precisely measured and designed in CAD software. The mass properties are measured and
provided to CAD system. Detailed modeling is completed for the individual components which help
to determine the mass properties and the center of gravity of individual components and the entire
system.

Table 6: CAD Design of Individual Subsystems

OBDH Power System

ADCS with wheel drive Unit

Communication System

Front Access Board VAT PPU board

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Backplane to support all the boards

Panels (-Z axis, +Z axis, -X axis, remaining faces(+Y, -Y, +X) )

Solar cells: The details of the solar cells used are provided below.

Table 7: Properties of UWE-4 Solar cell

Base Material GaInP/GaAs/Ge on Ge substrate

AR-coating TiOx/Al2O3
Dimensions 40.15 x 80.15 mm 0.1 mm
Cell Area 30.18 cm2
Average Weight 116 mg/cm2
Thickness 280 25 m
Cover glass CMX 100
Cover glass thickness 100 m

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4.3 Thruster Integration

Initially, the micro vacuum arc thruster was under consideration and the rails designs were
modified to integrate available. Two configurations of the rail were used in UWE-3, mainly modified
on the Z axis to incorporate the spring plungers and the kill switch as stated in CDS. The UWE-3
rail design does feature any components externally on the +Z axis of the CubeSat rail. This portion of
the rail was designed as per the CDS (8.5 x 8.5 mm) to support other CubeSats during launch. The
concepts were developed with each thruster mounted on one of the four rails towards +Z axis
direction, to utilize the available space.

4.3.1 VAT propulsion system

Though it was decided to keep the thrusters in the +Z axis lot of changes were made on the
nearby PCB board to accommodate the thrusters. Different concepts were developed to integrate the
Vacuum Arc thrusters into the CubeSat rails. The thrusters are also in the design stage and modified
over the course of time with many iterations. The coaxial cable design for the thruster is also yet to be
finalized. The Front access panel board was interfering with the thrusters and modified CubeSat rail
structures. This calls for the new PCB board design with shorter width to accommodate the thrusters.
The concepts are discussed below.

Concept 1: The initial version of the thruster design is shown where the thruster dimensions are very
different and there is little cathode material.

Figure 14: UWE-4 rail with VAT initial concept

Concept 2: This concept was proposed by the UniBW, Munich. This proposed design integrates the
thruster along the inside of the rail. However, the thruster will be inserted from the top and then
screwed to the rails (both inside and outside). Inside screws arrest the movement of the outer tube and

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

helps the coaxial cathode to follow the insertion and to support the spring in the feeding mechanism.
Major drawbacks is the screws at the bottom of the thrusters and left exposed on the outside the rail,
this might be a problem during the flight (might interfere with the P-POD rails). The CDS specifies
that no structure except the rail should touch the PPOD rails and the outer surface of the CubeSat rails
should be anodized to match with the thermal expansion coefficient.

Figure 15: UWE-4 rail with VAT - Concept 2

Concept 3: This concept is based extending the support towards Z axis to provide better support to
the thruster and the axial load are supported by the rails. This configuration requires the thruster to be
inserted from the top and the thruster will be screwed with the threads on the thruster head. This
concept provides more robustness than the previous design with the thruster head being the screwed
and the shoulder head arresting any additional movement and the extended support to the thruster.

Figure 16: UWE-4 rail with VAT - Concept 3

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4.3.2 Miniaturized FEEP propulsion system

This section discusses various concepts created to integrate the FEEP propulsion system into
UWE platform. The FEEP thrusters are little bigger than the VAT propulsion system with dimension
~ 13 mm and L ~ 21 mm. During early stages of concept development, various ideas were discussed
such as to integrate the thruster on the middle of the panels or the thruster need to be included near to
the bar on the Z+ axis. Since the panels are already occupied with all the electronics and sensor system,
little gap between the panels and the electronics wont be enough to accommodate the thrusters. This
provides with the only option to integrate the thrusters inside the CubeSat rail.

Concept 1: This concept was proposed by the TUDresden for the integration of thruster into 1U
CubeSat. As shown in the image below, the thruster was designed to be integrated through the
extended support on the rails or any primary structure. Though this concept seems to be more suitable,
in UWE-4 this concept poses interference issues with the electronics (inside) and with the solar cells
(outside). Since the outer structure can be easily modified to accommodate the thrusters, alternate
designs were preferred with modified outer structure.

Figure 17: FEEP thruster integration Concept 1

Concept 2: This concept was developed with the idea to integrate the thruster within the modified
rail structure. Even though the thruster diameter is bigger, the rail structure was optimally modified to
accommodate the thruster with the wall of the rails (around the thruster) being 1.5 mm in width. In
this design, the thruster will be inserted from the bottom (inside), the rail structures are also modified
to allow the same. The thruster features a special clamp design with the collars which are tightly
mounted to the thruster structure itself. Also, the collars are supported by the Cubesat rails and
mounted using the M3 screws on the sides. The CAD model of the design is shown below.

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Figure 18: UWE-4 rail with NanoFEEP - Concept 2

Concept 3: This design is also similar to the previous concept, but the clamp is modified towards the
Z-axis. The side structures in the rails are extended towards the center to provide better rigidity to
withstand the launch conditions. The wall diameter on the +Z axis was increased to accommodate
the thruster diameter. This concept is more rigid and doesnt transfer much load to the thruster
structure as the thruster is mounted in the directions of an axis of expected movement.

Figure 19: UWE-4 rail with NanoFEEP - Concept 3

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4.3.3 Thruster Design Suggestion

The thruster design provided by the TU Dresden is of 13 mm in diameter and along structural
modification to integrate into CubeSat rail, this concept calls for major modifications as there are
interference with PCBs, solar cells. In order to keep design changes minimal, the option to reduce the
size of the thruster by 1mm was analyzed. A new design suggestion was proposed with 12 mm
diameter to the design coordinators at TUDresden and discussed the feasibility of manufacturing such
compact arrangement.

Advantage of using this design is that there fewer modifications to electronics and other
subsystems in current UWE configuration and need for major changes can be avoided by using the
new proposed thruster design. As per the discussion, with the coordinators in Dresden the design is
feasible and they will manufacture and test the proposed design solution in near future.

Figure 20: Current design and Proposed design of NanoFEEP Thruster

Source : (Bock et al., 2014) for current design

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4.4 Summary
Various concepts developed during the design stage are discussed in detail. The concepts were
selected on the basis of initial validation and maximum adherence to the CDS are further proceeded
to next stage with finite element modeling and analysis. The mass properties and the moment of inertia
calculated from the CAD design are provided below. The detailed CAD design approach is very much
helpful to collaborate different partnering universities and share the design ideas immediately.

4.4.1 Mass Properties

The mass properties of the system derived from the CAD for various subsystems are
summarized below. The mass of the individual subsystem are provided with greater care and which
will be help in the determination of the moment of inertia of the system.

Table 8: Summary of Mass Properties of the UWE -4 system

CAD
Subsystem Specification Mass (g)
model
Rails Aluminum alloy 80 (4 x 20.3) Yes

Spacers and screws Aluminum alloy 60 Yes

Power PCB PCB, Battery, Battery Cover 219.05 Yes

PCB board, Electronics for
Front Access Panel 39.5 Yes
access
Communication PCB board, Antenna subsystem 118.91 Yes

OBDH Micro controllers 38.9 Yes

Reaction wheel, gyroscopes,
ADCS with Wheel Drive
magnetometers, reaction wheel 89 Yes
Unit
controller on secondary board
Processing unit for thruster
PPU Board VAT 141 Yes
power requirements
Back Plane Support all the PCB through 49.6 Yes

Thruster 12 (4*12) Yes

48+48+48+46+58
Panels (with sensors) Yes
+56

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 CHAPTER 4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4.4.2 Moment of Inertia

Moment of inertia derived from the Solidworks CAD model are provided below for the different
thruster configurations.

1. VAT concept:

Table 9: Moment of Inertia for VAT concept

X = 1.35
Center of mass: (mm) from
Y = -0.47
Geometric center
Z = 1.23

Principal axes of inertia and Ix = (0.91, 0.00, 0.42) Px = 2129699.62

moments of inertia: (g*mm2) Iy = (0.14, 0.94, -0.30) Py = 2161606.53
Taken at the center of mass. Iz = (-0.39, 0.33, 0.86) Pz = 2195972.93
Moments of inertia: (g*mm2)
Lxx = 2140527.85 Lxy = 4477.63 Lxz = 23667.70
Taken at the center of mass and
Lyx = 4477.63 Lyy = 2165319.86 Lyz = -9683.97
aligned with the output
Lzx = 23667.70 Lzy = -9683.97 Lzz = 2181431.37
coordinate system.
Moments of inertia: (g*mm2) Ixx = 2142484.80 Ixy = 3766.89 Ixz = 25535.82
Taken at the output coordinate Iyx = 3766.89 Iyy = 2169070.83 Iyz = -10334.36
system. Izx = 25535.82 Izy = -10334.36 Izz = 2183720.28

2. FEEP concept:

Table 10: Moment of Inertia for FEEP concept

X = 1.06
Center of mass: (mm)
Y = -0.30
(from Geometric Center)
Z = 0.80

Principal axes of inertia and Ix = (0.94, -0.07, 0.35) Px = 2119613.67

moments of inertia: (g*mm2) Iy = (0.22, 0.87, -0.43) Py = 2144538.38
Taken at the center of mass. Iz = (-0.28, 0.48, 0.83) Pz = 2185232.24
Moments of inertia: (g*mm2)
Lxx = 2125826.31 Lxy = 3898.15 Lxz = 17421.38
Taken at the center of mass and
Lyx = 3898.15 Lyy = 2153964.63 Lyz = -16927.57
aligned with the output
Lzx = 17421.38 Lzy = -16927.57 Lzz = 2169593.35
coordinate system.
Moments of inertia: (g*mm2) Ixx = 2126640.36 Ixy = 3544.55 Ixz = 18374.14
Taken at the output coordinate Iyx = 3544.55 Iyy = 2155948.85 Iyz = -17193.11
system. Izx = 18374.14 Izy = -17193.11 Izz = 2170960.62

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

5. Finite Element Modeling (FEM)

5.1 Theory
The Finite Element Model (FEM) of a structural system is one the primary technique in
structural mechanics to design and validate the system with a discretized representation. Nodes form
the basic element of FEM. The nodes are interconnected with adjacent nodes to form an individual
element. The basic technique involved in FEM is the subdivision of the mathematical model in to a
system of points called nodes and they are interconnected among themselves through a finite element
mesh. The mesh contains the information about the structural and material properties of the
component or system. Based on the input parameters and the nodal placements the solution will be
derived from the predictable behavior of the system under certain conditions. Depending on the
analysis requirements, the element shapes can be varied. The density of the finite element mesh and
the element size can be varied throughout the structure or local region, depending on the anticipated
change in stress levels (Lin, 2010). Generally, regions that experience high changes in stress requires a
higher mesh density and a smaller element size to accurately predict the behavior than those that
experience little or no stress variation. The response of each element is expressed in terms of a finite
number of degrees of freedom characterized as the value of an unknown function, or functions, at a
set of nodal points (Lin, 2010).

Figure 21: Two-dimensional region subdivided in finite elements

Source (Weckmann, 1997)

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

For the simple structures, the element modeling method can be chosen from 1D and 2D
elements, whereas, complex structures can be divided into 3D elements. The basic element types of
1D, 2D, and 3D elements are shown in the Figure 22 below.

Figure 22: Different 1D, 2D and 3D basic elements

Image source: (Holm, 2002)

5.2 FEM of UWE-4

Finite Element Modeling of UWE-4 is intended to simplify the actual model and prepare the
CAD design for finite element analysis. Siemens NX CAE software is selected for the Finite Element
modeling and Analysis of UWE satellite. The advantage of using NX CAE is that offers flexibility to
change various parameters and offers different inbuilt solvers are available for analysis. The
parameters for the FEM was selected carefully to yield very accurate results possible.

The detailed CAD design was completed using SolidWorks, the design was simplified and
exported into neutral STEP format which is compatible with most CAD software available in the
market. Though NX offers CAD software package, however, Solidworks is used mainly to have
compatibility with partnering universities. The design files are imported into NX. After importing,
first task is the verification of the imported model, the imported file is verified with available model in
the SolidWorks to make sure there is no data loss during the file conversion. The imported file contains
only the structural data and it does not contain the material information. The material properties will
be added in NX separately and the details are discussed below. The Overall setup and parameters for
UWE-4 modeling are discussed below.

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

Finite Element modeling follows the steps described below:

1. Import the model into NX: The CAD model imported into NX using the neutral format and the
files are duly verified for data loss before proceeding further. The imported file will be in part
(*.prt) format, and it is required to create a new FEM and SIM files for every simulation
process. The FEM (*.fem) files contain the information of the meshing properties, material
information and other information regarding the physical properties of the material. The SIM
(*.sim) files contain the loading data, constraints and other simulation objects necessary for
the boundary conditions. The structure of the file system in NX is shown below.

Figure 23: NX CAE Simulation Navigator & FEM window ribbon

2. Managing Materials: Next step in the modeling process, is managing physical properties of
individual components. Material properties define the characteristics of the nodes and
elements in the FEM. NX allows the users to select the properties for the finite element objects
either from the NX default material library or user-defined local material library. The
properties such as density, youngs modulus, Poissons ratio, yield and ultimate tensile
strength are very much basic parameters to be defined for the Structural analysis, whereas

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

thermal coefficient, emissivity, absorbity are the parameters for the thermal analysis. The
material properties are listed in the table below.

Table 11: Material Properties used for FEM/FEA

Components Material Density Youngs Poissons Yield Ultimate tensile

(kg/m3) Modulus Ratio Strength strength
(GPa) (MPa) (MPa)
Rail Aluminum 2711 68.9 .33 276 310
Alloy
(Al6061-T6)
Panel Aluminum 2680 70.3 .33 193 228
Alloy
Solar cell InGaP/GaAs/Ge 5317 -- -- -- --
on Ge
substrate
Bolts & Aluminum 2700 68.9 .33 276 310
Spacers Alloy (Al6061)
FR-4 1900 24 .136 65 70

PCB boards
Copper 8900 108 .33 150 340

3. Model Simplification: For complex assemblies with different structural components its always
necessary to simplify the model and prepare it for the finite element analysis. Simplifying the
model geometry provides advantage of lower computation time due to the lesser number of
nodes and elements. In NX, the simplified polygon geometry and the changes made to the
initial components were stored in the *_i.prt file system. This set of file arrangement ensures
the changes made during the simplification process wont affect the original system and
information are protected. Editing polygon geometry will be very helpful in making the
analysis easier and to edit the meshing locally when its required. The mass of the individual
components are converted into lump mass and applied to the created nodal points. The minor
components (like spring plungers, deploy switches, ICs, etc) that doesnt affect the structural
performance have been omitted to reduce the model complexity.

The below example highlights the importance of editing the geometry to be more helpful
in the analysis. The picture shown the +z axis panel and region around the holes where the
screws are attached to the structure are provided with a circular imprint geometry to provide
more fine meshing around the holes. These circular imprints will be used as reference by the
spider elements in the bolt connections to form a more dense element models, as the stress will

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

be more during loading in these regions. These features are important for finite element
analysis to get accurate results, however, these are not necessary to be included detail CAD
design.

Figure 24: Simplified +Z axis panel, mesh representation, bolt spider arrangement

4. Mesh generation: The simplified components are meshed and then arranged into the respective
mesh collectors (1D, 2D, 3D).

a) 1D collectors usually contain the connections between different elements such as node to node
connection, node to face connection, node to edge connection etc. In UWE-4 model 1D
connections are used to represent the bolts using a RBE-2 elements (impose equal
displacement over set of nodes). The 3D bolts used in CAD are removed during the
simplification process and replaced with the bolt connections in NX which has behavior of the
element under different loading conditions. The built in NX Bolt connection saves a greater
amount time during analysis and offers more control over the design. The bolt connection
allows the inclusion of spider nodes around the single core node (circular imprint) which in
turn connected to multiple leg nodes with RBE elements. The NX bolt connection enable the
user to define different associations such as bolt with nut, bolt in tapped hole, Spider at
junction.

b) 2D meshing allows four types of Element properties (CQUAD4, CQUAD8, CTRIA6,

CTRIA3) as shown in Figure 22 and two types of Meshing method (Sub-division method and
Paver method). Paver method is usually preferred because it creates a mesh by first subdividing

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

the surface boundaries into mesh points, and then operates on created boundaries to construct
internal elements. The element size are usually selected based on the size of the components
and expected stress levels to accurately predict the behaviour of the element. Auto size
selection enable to predict the mesh element size which can be fine tuned based on the
requirement. For the objects that converted from 3D to 2D for simplification (such as flat
panels with uniform thickness are represented as 2D plane), the default thickness are defined
in the physcial properties associated with the particular mesh collectors. The non-structural
mass is added at the later stages as pointed mass at CG of particular component measured in
CAD software. For the analysis the design need to be simpler the Structures such as panels,
solar cells, and Electronic boards are converted into 2d structure with defined default
thickness.

Figure 25: NX CAE - 2D Mesh window

c) 3D meshing are preferred for the components with complex shapes with varying thickness that
are difficult to be simplified in to 2D structures. As described earlier, NX allows various
element shapes in 3D mesh. NX allows 3D tetrahedral, Swept mesh, Sweep mesh, and shell
from solid. 3D tetrahedral mesh is used to mesh the CubeSat rails, battery cover and spacers.

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

Mesh Parameters: UWE-4 rail

Element Type : CTETRA(10)
Element Size : 3 mm
Attempt Free
Mapped Meshing : true
Mid-node Method : Mixed
Max Jacobian : 10

Figure 26: UWE-4 rail Meshing and Mesh information

Figure 27: Finite Element Model of UWE-4 CubeSat

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 CHAPTER 5. FINITE ELEMENT MODELING (FEM)

5.3 Summary - Finite Element Modeling

The imported CAD model are simplified to easily aid the simulation process. Different Mesh
collectors are created with respective physical properties. Material properties are added from the
default NX library, and if not available, new material are created and added to the local library. During
meshing process the element sizes are given greater care based on the expected load conditions and
stress concentrations, this will allow us to gain more accurate results from the simulation process. The
summary of the mesh details of the complete model is provided below.

Table 12: Mesh Summary of UWE-4 CubeSat

MESH SUMMARY

Total number of elements in the part 85299

Total number of nodes in the part 96806
Number of Rod elements 87
Number of Rigid Link elements 112
Number of Quad4 elements 15092
Number of Tri3 elements 620
Number of Tetra4 elements 36657
Number of Tetra10 elements 32731
Minimum element label used 101859
Maximum element label used 448855
Minimum node label used 41951
Maximum node label used 304525

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

6. Finite Element Analysis

The important aspect in every satellite life-cycle is its journey to outer space within the launch
vehicle. And the system must be designed to withstand any expected conditions during the launch. As
stated in (Jayaram et al., 2012), during launch the satellite will be acted upon by external loads resulting
from various sources such as steady-state booster acceleration, Vibro-acoustic noise, propulsion
system engine vibrations, booster ignition and burnout, stage separations, vehicle maneuvers,
propellant slosh, payload fairing separation and ejection. Different loading events are summarized in
the table below with the significance of the impact on the spacecraft system.

As a next step in the validation process Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is performed on the model
prepared during the analysis. The loads (static, dynamic, vibration) and also, the constraints were
applied to simulate the actual environment of the system. The behavior of the system is later studied
with the performance results. As a general procedure, the design will sometimes subject to
optimization or modification once detailed study of analysis results were made.

Table 13: Summary of Spacecraft Loads

Source (Harkins, 1999)

LOADING (EVENT) SIGNIFICANCE

Inertia Loads Loads that Drive the Design of Primary Structure

(Launch and Landing)

Vibrational Structurally Transmitted, Causing

(Flight and Orbit Operations) Fatigue/Fracture

Vibro-acoustic Acoustically Transmitted, Especially for Low

(Launch) Mass/Area Parts

Thermally Induced Thermally Induced Dictates Allowable

(Flight and Orbit Operations) Temperatures and Gradients, Compatibility of
Materials
Pressurization and Flow Induced For Pressure Vessels, Pipe Lines,
(Flight and Orbit Operations) Housings

Mechanical Material Residual Stresses, Fastener/Seal

(Fabrication/Assembly) Preloads, Misalignment

Mechanical/Thermal May Limit Useful Life of Material

(Verification Testing)

Mechanical/Inertial Important for the Design of MGSE, and S/C

(Ground Handling, and Interface with MGSE, may limit useful life of
Transportation) material

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

6.1 Structural Analysis

A spacecraft (S/C) structure is usually classified as primary or secondary.

The primary structure consists of those elements which react to the overall S/C bending, axial,
shear, and torsional loads. In UWE-4, the primary structures comprise of the CubeSat rails, spacers,
and bolts. The secondary structure comprises those elements which do not appreciably contribute to
overall S/C stiffness. In UWE-4, the secondary structures include the panels, panel screws.

Structural stress analysis should include all the loads acting on both the primary and secondary
structures of the spacecraft. The two important parameters of the analysis are Structural deformation
(amount of change in elements of the structure) and Von-mises Stress (stress tensor of a material at a
given time). (Jayaram et al., 2012). As stated in (Harkins, 1999), Various steps involved in stress analysis
are listed below:

1. Requirements and loads determination: Dynamic Loads & Static loads

2. Material Characterization
3. Structural modeling
4. Determination of structural response
5. Deformations, internal forces and stresses
6. Failure modes check
7. Optimization and redesign if necessary

6.1.1 Requirements and load determination

The CDS specifies the design criteria and the structural requirements of the CubeSat system
in addition to the dimension and mass requirements. Additional design suggestions are provided in
CDS, in order to avoid the launch failures like jamming, cold welding, and to provide electrical
isolation between CubeSat and P-POD. Aluminum Alloys of grade 7075 or 6061-T6 are suggested in
CDS to be used for primary structures. The CubeSat rail surfaces which are in contact the P-POD rails
and adjacent CubeSat need to be hard anodized to prevent any cold welding within the P-POD.

The orientation of the satellite with respect to the launch vehicle reference frame (LVRF) is
generally not known during early design stages. Therefore to verify the robustness of the structure of
the satellite system is applied with the extreme load conditions on all axis (X, Y, and Z).

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

The loading conditions of the UWE-4 CubeSat are analyzed under the two arrangements
(namely Horizontal and Vertical arrangement). The Maximum static acceleration of 10.5g
(longitudinal direction) and maximum of 3.5g (lateral direction) are considered as per the ISIlaunch
document (Table 14). Typical CubeSat mass of 1.33 kg is considered for remaining satellites in P-POD
for the analysis. The static acceleration value is chosen based on the test level of ISIS launch services
irrespective of launch vehicle.

Figure 28: CubeSat loading conditions a. vertical arrangement b. Horizontal arrangement

Image source (Quiroz-Garfias et al., 2007)

The load source and the acceleration values for qualification as provided by ISILaunch services for
auxiliary payloads on board the DNEPR Launch Vehicle are given below.

Table 14: Acceleration levels for payloads

Source: (Bolhuis, 2012)

Specification : ISL.ISILaunch03.EL (Qualification)

Direction / Axis Acceleration

+ X (fore) 10.5 g

- X (aft) 1.3 g

+ Y (lateral right) 1.0 g

- Y (lateral left) 3.4 g

+ Z (up) 1.0 g

- Z (down) 3.4 g

The load are deduced based on the acceleration levels for launch qualification requirements, are shown
below

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

1) First arrangement assuming the CubeSat is at the bottom of the rack and the weight of two
CubeSat are exerted upon the last satellite, and with the static acceleration of 10.5 g the load
acting the rails of the last CubeSat will be around 274 N (10.5g x (2 x 1.33 kg) = 10.5 x 9.81
m/s2 x 2.66 kg = 274 N).
2) Second, the horizontal arrangement the load acted on the CubeSat is around 137 N (10.5g x
1.33 kg = 10.5 x 9.81 m/s2 x 1.33 kg = 137 N).

The loads arrangements are characterized as shown below.

Table 15 : Possible load scenarios (Vertical and Horizontal arrangement)

Vertical Loading arrangement Horizontal Loading Arrangement

Major Major
loading Lateral loading direction loading Lateral loading direction
vector vector
X- Y- Y+ Z+
X+ Y- Y- Z+
Z+ X+
X+ Y+ Y+ Z-
X- Y+ Y- Z-
X- Y+ Y+ Z+
X- Y- Y- Z+
Z- X-
X+ Y- Y+ Z-
X+ Y+ Y- Z-
X+ Z+
X- Z+
Y+
X+ Z-
X- Z-
X+ Z+
X- Z+
Y-
X+ Z-
X- Z-

The loading conditions stated in Table 15 are then applied to developed model for the detailed
analysis. The sample loading conditions are shown below.

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

Figure 29: Sample loading condition (vertical arrangement with x+, y+, z+)

6.1.2 Pre-Processing - Summary

This section concludes the pre-processing work done before conducting the analysis in NX
CAE. The details of the Finite Element Modeling and the Material properties selection are discussed
previously in the chapter 5.2. The loads are applied as per the stated loading conditions and the results
of the structural analysis are presented in the chapter 7.1. Individual loading conditions are applied
during analysis and the test results were recorded for the every cases. The test results are then validated
against the material strength to qualify the design for the launch.

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

6.2 Thermal Analysis

Thermal analysis is one of the integral part of development cycle of the satellite and its main
goal is to balance the thermal energy of the satellite and also, to ensure that all the subsystems remain
within their acceptable temperature limits during normal operations. Without proper thermal design,
the performance of the spacecraft is compromised and might result in damage to the core components
or payloads. Excessively designed thermal system will result in unwanted weight and cost, as these
are major factors in terms of CubeSat class satellite. To ensure a successful mission, a thermal analysis
using either numerical calculations or experimental methods are necessary to validate against various
subsystem operating temperature limits.

There are two types of thermal analysis (Bulut et al., 2015), they are

1. Steady-state thermal analysis: It is used to determine the temperature distribution and other
thermal parameters under steady-state loading conditions (where over a time period
fluctuating heat storage effects are ignored).
2. Transient thermal analysis: It is used to determine the temperature distribution and other
thermal parameters that vary over a period of time.

Based on the satellite orbit, the thermal conditions of the environment are predicted. Thereby the
external heat loads and its effects are determined by a particular mission, other factors include
orientation of the satellite, surface properties, and structure size plays a major role determining the
heat loads on the satellite.

6.2.1 Orbital Environment

Spacecraft Environment in orbit (for e.g. 800km) is different from the environment on the
Earth surface. The atmosphere is very thin or no atmosphere to conduct the thermal energy, so
radiation is the major means of energy transfer to the satellites. While in orbit the thermal environment
tends to change continuously, also it depends on the orientation of the satellite with respect to the heat
sources.

However, in case of CubeSat, the orbital phases are carefully chosen to have minimum eclipse
period. Usually, Cubesat delivered to the sun-synchronous orbits sun-synchronous orbit (with

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

ascending node between 11h and 15h) and this allows them to have minimum eclipse duration varying
from 15 to 20 min at an altitude range of approx. 700 ~ 800 km.

Figure 30: Energy balance between Space environment and CubeSat

Thermal control is a process of energy management in which environmental heating plays a

major role. There are three main sources of heating for a spacecraft, operating in near-Earth
environment are direct sunlight (radiated heat from the sun), earth albedo (sunlight reflected from
earth) and earth infrared (black-body radiation of the Earth) (Quiroz-Garfias et al., 2007). Magnitude of
heat fluxes highly depends on the location of the satellite in the orbit. Also, orientation of the satellite
plays an important role in determining the thermal conditions. The CubeSat tends to spin around
when it is in orbit and this spinning effect causes the spacecraft to receive heat on one side and dissipate
on other and this and especially helps to spread the temperature homogenously in the satellite (Bulut
et al., 2015).

When the CubeSat is on the sunlit side of the orbit, it has at most three faces facing the sun at
any point in time, while the other faces are in the shadow facing the earth and absorbing the Earth's
albedo. Whereas in the eclipse condition, the planetary radiation is the major source of energy for any
spacecraft. Developing a thermal model with the predictable orbit helps to have greater control over
the thermal system design of the satellite.

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

6.2.2 Thermal Equilibrium

For a CubeSat, usually passive control will be implemented through the selection of insulation
materials, and selection of materials for components and considering the operating temperature. And
also it drives the system design and implement constraints on the selection of payloads.

In order to control the satellite passively and to derive the model, one need to consider the
radiation and absorption properties of the satellite components. Radiation from the components
depends on the type of material, surface coating, and other parameters and these can be efficiently
combined to regulate the satellite temperature passively. Temperature of the components is effectively
predicted, knowing with the absorption and emission properties of the materials used.

6.2.3 Operating temperature Limitations

Onboard components have different operating temperature limitation depends on the

functions. The operating temperature ranges of various components are provided in the below table.
In addition to the solar radiation, the heat generated from the onboard electronic components (such
as microprocessors, Power amplifiers, etc.) during its operational cycle will be used as supplementary
power to increase the temperature of the satellite.

Table 16: Summary of Components Operating Temperature

Components Notes Operating Temperature

Tmin[C] Tmax [C]
(charge) 0 +45
Li Po Battery
(discharge) -20 +60
Solar Cells -40 +125
Electronics -40 +85
Main Structures -40 +85

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

6.2.4 Thermal Simulation

Initial File system setup: A new NX solution is started for thermal solution. The solver used for the
solution is NX Space Systems Thermal. The file systems configuration is shown below. The *.fem file
prepared initially is used for the simulation. Simulation objects include Orbital heating, Radiation,
Thermal Coupling of the system.

Figure 31: NX CAE Thermal Simulation Navigator

Orbital Heating Object: In NX space systems thermal simulation, the orbital heating is included as
simulation object. It includes the information about the orbit and calculation methods and element
illumination types. The orbit and attitude parameters are defined separately which allows greater
control over the thermal simulation. The parameters for Attitude and orbit are derived from the two-
line element of UWE-3. Similar orbit is used to simulate in the system which will be very help to
validate the results with measured real-time data.

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

1. Planet Characteristics 2. Orbit Geometry Details

Name: Earth Type: Sun Synchronous

Radius: 6.371e+006 m Period: 5854.68 s
Mass: 5.97587e+024 kg Eccentricity: 0.0072108
Gravity Constant: 9.82 m/s^2 Minimum Radius: 6.97025e+006 m
Period: 86400 s Maximum Radius: 7.0715e+006 m
Distance To Sun: 1.496e+011 m Inclination: 97.9561 deg.

3. Eclipse Information 4. S/C Orientation Details

Time Before Entering: 4788.7 s Aim Vector:( 1, 0, 0) At: Nadir

Time After Entering: 4808.74 s Align Vector: ( 0, 0, -1)
Time Before Exiting: 925.281 s With: Velocity Vector
Time After Exiting: 945.796 s Spacecraft Rotation: Yes
Eclipse Starts At Time: 4798.72 s Rotation Type: Time Varying
Eclipse Ends At Time: 935.54 s Rate of Rotation: 1800/orbit
Eclipse Duration: 1991.51 s Centre of Rotation:
(-0.05,-0.05,0.05675)
Axis of Rotation:
0.551467,0.551467,-0.625915)

5. Sun Characteristics

Position: ( -1.49462e+011, -5.9036e+009, -2.55934e+009)

Day Number: 269

Figure 32: Orbital Heating Input parameters in NX Thermal

Radiation: Radiation is used as second simulation object with the entire model chosen for the study
subject of enclosure radiation. View factors can be computed using a Hemicube algorithm with the
view factor accuracy set to medium (128 x 128). Hemicube algorithm has advantages such as
calculation time is linear with the elemental count and uses OGL based rendering which allows the
utilization of high-performance graphics hardware. This will render the entire model for the enclosure
radiation.

Other simulation objects: The other objects included in the system are face contacts which is used to
simulate the bonding with predefined gap thermal conductivity between the element faces. Also,
Thermal coupling radiation to simulate gap radiation.

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 CHAPTER 6. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

6.2.5 Summary

Developing with finite element model for thermal analysis is different from the developing
model for Structural analysis. Individual model was developed for each analysis, because of the
software limitations in using the same *.fem model for both simulations. Thermal model are developed
with greater care as this address the actual operating environment of the satellite and these data are
not available earlier. Having these analysis data available will be possible to predict the temperature
of UWE-4 on any given orbit and time.

Figure 33: Overview of developed thermal model before simulation

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

7. Results

This section briefly describes the results of finite element analysis performed for the UWE-4
structure. The structures were tested for different scenarios which include Static, dynamic, thermal
environment conditions using various solver environment in NX software. The results from the
different analysis are compiled and presented below.

7.1 Structural Analysis

This section describes the results of static and dynamic analysis that was performed with UWE-
4 CubeSat structure to verify the robustness of the design to withstand high loads and vibrations during
launch. Static analysis results review the displacement and von mises stress developed during various
expected scenarios, whereas the random vibration analysis results presented helpful to predict the
natural frequency of the structure.

7.1.1 Static Analysis

As discussed earlier, in each scenario the geometrically distributed normal forces were applied to the
corresponding contact areas on the CubeSat rails. In order to simulate the structural response to
expected accelerations present in all directions during launch, longitudinal and traversal force vectors
have been applied to each possibly ordered pair of orthogonal sides of the satellite.

The results are summarized below are for vertical arrangement.

Table 17: Loading directions, displacement and Max. VM Stress in Vertical arrangement

Case Scenario Longitudinal Transversal Maximum Maximum

Axis Axis Displacement Von-mises
(10,5g) (3,4g) (mm) Stress (MPa)
1 Z+ X- Y- 0.184 51.19
2 X+ Y- 0.135 54.88
3 X+ Y+ 0.0731 40.06
4 X- Y+ 0.162 41.02
5 Z- X- Y+ 0.0708 19.77
6 X- Y- 0.0871 16.32
7 X+ Y- 0.0595 18.79
8 X+ Y+ 0.0673 22.92

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

Figure 34: Sample results - Case 1 of Vertical arrangement

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

Figure 35: Sample results - Case 3 of Vertical arrangement

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

The results are summarized below are for Horizontal arrangement.

Table 18: Loading directions, displacement and Max. VM Stress in Horizontal arrangement

Case Scenario Longitudinal Transversal Maximum Maximum

Axis Axis Displacement Von-mises
(10,5g) (3,4g) (mm) Stress (MPa)
1 X+ Y+ Z+ 0.0405 41.22
2 Y- Z+ 0.0391 51.05
3 Y+ Z- 0.0410 65.22
4 Y- Z+ 0.0370 81.88
5 X- Y+ Z+ 0.0931 40.19
6 Y- Z+ 0.0487 38.24
7 Y+ Z- 0.0354 33.86
8 Y- Z+ 0.0289 33.56
9 Y+ X+ Z+ 0.237 115.57
10 X- Z+ 0.262 108.52
11 X+ Z- 0.0311 32.89
12 X- Z+ 0.0319 43.61
13 Y- X+ Z+ 0.1031 63.61
14 X- Z+ 0.1163 42.14
15 X+ Z- 0.0480 54.83
16 X- Z+ 0.0589 49.23

From the above results, structure develops a maximum stress of 115.57 MPa, which is well
below the yield stress for Aluminum 6061 (240 MPa). The structure proved to be capable of
withstanding all launch scenarios and extreme loading conditions as prescribed above. Few sample
case results are shown below.

Stress levels: The maximum stress of 115.57 MPa was reached for the case 9 in the horizontal
arrangement. Whereas in the vertical arrangement the maximum stress is developed in case 2, 54 Mpa.
Only 3 cases have stress levels above 70 MPa, 5 above 60 MPa. Regions of major stress development
are provided in the images below.

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

Figure 36: Major area of stress development in case 9 of Horizontal arrangement

Figure 37: Major area of stress development in case 5 of Horizontal arrangement

Displacement levels: The displacement of 0.262 mm experienced at the bottom of the CubeSat rail
for the case 10 in the horizontal arrangement. In the case of vertical arrangement, the maximum
displacement of 0.185 mm is experienced in case 1. This result was very much posed by the inside
structures rather than the rails itself. In case rails experience the 0.0996 mm. This is also same with
case 2 in the vertical arrangement, the displacement levels in the rails are only 0.0810 mm. But, major
displacement is experienced in the supporting structures, 0.135 mm.

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

Figure 38: Sample results - Case 10 of Horizontal arrangement

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

Figure 39: Sample results - Case 13 of Horizontal arrangement

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

7.1.2 Modal Analysis

Modal analysis was performed to study the vibration characteristics (includes natural
frequencies and mode shapes) and dynamic behavior of the structures while being designed. The
natural frequencies of the systems are the important parameter to consider while designing a structure
for dynamic loading condition.

The users guide of Dnepr Launch vehicle (Stanislav, 2001) suggests that the Payload mounted
inside the launch vehicle need to be designed with structural stiffness and natural frequency should
not be less than 20 Hz in the longitudinal direction and 10Hz in the lateral direction. Also in the
ISIlaunch qualification document (Bolhuis, 2012), its stated that the fundamental frequency for the
flight model of the payload has to be greater than 20 Hz.

Based on the analysis, the systems identifies 20 eigenvalue frequencies for the structure within
the range of 5-2000Hz. The natural frequencies of the system are listed in the Table 19 below. The
real eigenvalue extraction are done using Lanczos method.

Table 19: Natural frequencies of the structure in the 5 to 2000 Hz range

Natural Natural
Mode Mode
Frequency [Hz] Frequency [Hz]
1 286.9 11 879.1
2 336.1 12 1088.4
3 442.3 13 1256.3
4 449.3 14 1459.7
5 488.5 15 1541.1
6 556.3 16 1547.8
7 701.8 17 1602.3
8 799.3 18 1717.9
9 805.6 19 1744.3
10 820.6 20 1821.2

The above table shows that the fundamental frequency of the system if much higher than stated
in the launch vehicle qualification. The results are then validated against the UWE actual test results,

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

both the results are very much associated with each other. The results from UWE-3 test data for the
frequency range of 5-2000 Hz are presented below.

Figure 40: UWE-3 test result for resonance search (Z direction) 5 - 2000Hz

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

7.2 Thermal Analysis

Thermal analysis performed using NX space systems thermal solver in NX CAE software. The
boundary conditions are provided as discussed in Section 6.2. The results from the orbital heating
analysis are produced below.

Initial analysis were done with very simplified only with the sample outer structures and
panels. This procedure was followed because the thermal analysis will take a considerable amount of
time for each iteration. The initial test case took around 1-2hr for a single analysis. The parameter
selection is the major criteria for the thermal simulation. The wrong selection of simulation parameters
will lead to the solver environment crash and will result in no solution.

Table 20: Summary of Thermal analysis Solution

Solver type: NX SPACE SYSTEMS THERMAL

Analysis type: Thermal
Solution type: Space Systems Thermal
Number of nodes in thermal model: 123084
Number of elements in thermal model: 90604
Number of elements created for surface coating: 22157

Transient Analysis: Solving Thermal

Ambient Temperature 0C
Ambient Pressure 0 mN/mm^2
Gravitational Acceleration: 7.96 m/s^2

Transient Options
Thermal solver time step: 5.855E+01 s
Thermal results printout interval: 1.000E+02 s
Initial simulation time: 0.000E+00 s
Final simulation time: 1.171E+04 s
Sun and planet angles are calculated for 17 orbital positions
Eclipse starts at time 4.798716E+03 Angle from periapsis= 6.625
Eclipse ends at time 9.355381E+02 Angle from periapsis= 129.625
Eclipse duration= 1991.50635
Local time at perigee is: 23 HR 37 MIN
Number of nodes 123108
Number of geometric elements 130208
Number of 1-D/duct fluid elements 0

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

Thermal Couplings
Number of thermal couplings: 4
3 - Face Contact(6): Type: Surface to Surface Contact, Perfect
Primary Area: 5.225E+04 mm^2
Secondary Area: 3.621E+04 mm^2
4 - Face Contact(7): Type: Surface to Surface Contact, Perfect
Primary Area: 3.222E+04 mm^2
Secondary Area: 3.830E+03 mm^2
5 - Face Contact(8): Type: Surface to Surface Contact, Perfect
Primary Area: 9.676E+03 mm^2
Secondary Area: 3.354E+02 mm^2
6 - Face Contact(9): Type: Surface to Surface Contact, Perfect
Primary Area: 1.035E+04 mm^2
Secondary Area: 3.307E+02 mm^2

Radiation Requests

Radiation Request Type Calc. Method Rad. Environment

2 - Radiation Enclosure Hemi-cube Yes

Thermal couplings and geometric radiative parameters

Number of shadowing surfaces 24016 created from 68462 elements

View factor and orbital view factor calculation

No. of view factors calculated with no elemental subdivision 1369226
No. of view factors calculated with elemental subdivision 0 0
No. of view factors calculated with elemental subdivision 1 0
No. of view factors calculated with elemental subdivision 2 91415008
To create radiative couplings : Oppenheim method used
Max view factor sum = 1.114 for element 378575
Min view factor sum = 0.000 for element 379372

Model Summary
Total number of conductance 19304108
Number of linear conductance 609503
Number of radiative conductance 18681267
Number of convective conductance 13338
Number of boundary elements 156734
Number of Elements 298353

The boundary conditions and software parameters (for e.g. ambient conditions, element
subdivision data) are adjusted based on results obtained with the initial model. Once the preliminary
model was tested and for the correct results, the detailed thermal finite element model is then
developed. Later, Thermal analysis was carried out with the detailed model. Detailed thermal analysis
for orbital heating took around 60 hours for the solution to converge. The results suggest that the

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

panel temperatures vary from +30C to -30C during each orbit. This favors the operating limits of
various equipment. The operating performance of batteries is a major consideration and the multi-
layer insulation provided around the batteries is helpful to keep the temperatures within specified
limits. The results are then verified with the actual values from the Temperature sensors of UWE-3and
found to be a close match with each other are shown in the below figures.

Figure 41: Panel temperatures of UWE-4 [from Simulation]

Figure 42: Actual panel temperatures of UWE-3 [in orbit]

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 CHAPTER 7. RESULTS

This results from the UWE-4 orbital analysis are very important, on previous missions these
data are not available during design phase to study the thermal behavior of the system. In UWE-4,
different from previous design various subsystems stacked in close arrangement to maintain optimum
balance and distribution of mass, this results in very little gap between the subsystems. With the
operation of various onboard electronics, the heat dissipation across different modules over a course
of time can predicted easily using the model. In future missions with the addition of any mission
payloads, development of similar model will help to identify the regions of improvement during the
design phase itself.

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 CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSION

8. Conclusion

For the integration of both VAT and NanoFEEP thrusters into UWE-4, several CAD concepts
were developed (discussed in section 4.3) during this thesis work. The VAT thruster is still in the
development stage; design aspects of the thruster are yet to be finalized. The concept 3 (section 4.3.1)
provides greater control over integration of the thruster, whereas concept 2 proposed by UniBW
should avoid the screw exposed on the outer portion of the rails. In case of NanoFEEP thrusters, the
current thruster design with an outer dimension of 13 mm call of major modification (such as reduced
width of PCB boards, movement of solar cells on outer panels, etc.) to integrate the thrusters. In order
to avoid major modifications to the system, a new concept was put forth in place with reduced outer
dimension 12 mm. As per the initial discussion, the proposed design is feasible to manufacture, but
it is subjected to design and testing. This calls for the design to be open for minor modifications for
integrating NanoFEEP thrusters into UWE-4. The detailed CAD design was also developed for other
components of UWE-4 in order to estimate the overall mass properties and moment of inertia for
different configuration (presented in section 4.4). The mass properties are well within the limits of
CubeSat design specifications and the estimated moment of inertia can be used in preliminary attitude
simulations.

Finite Element modeling and analysis are the basic of every structural analysis. The designed CAD
models were imported into FE software Siemens NX. Though the finite element models are simplified,
the model was developed with every detail of the CAD model for accurate simulation results
(discussed in chapter 5). The loading conditions for static analysis were estimated with combinations
of expected loading scenarios prescribed by the launch providers and the mounting of the P-POD
(orientation of the satellite) inside the launch vehicle interface. Based on the above assumptions 24
loading scenarios were developed and solutions were derived for individual scenarios and presented
in the section 7.1. Detailed analysis was done to estimate the impact on the structural subsystem.
Based on the results of the structural analysis, the maximum stress on the CubeSat rails in both
horizontal and vertical direction well below the yield strength of Aluminum alloy (276 MPa) and this
proves that the CubeSat structure is capable of withstanding the loads in all axis (X, Y, and Z) during
launch irrespective of the mounting of the P-POD within the Launch vehicle.

In addition to the static analysis test, vibration analysis was also performed to identify the natural
frequencies of the structure and to verify the adherence to launch provider specifications. The analysis

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 CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSION

was performed over the frequency range 5 to 2000 Hz. The results with the natural frequency range of
the UWE-4 structure are presented in the section 7.1.2. The results were validated against the actual
UWE-3 model vibration analysis data. The results were identified as close match with actual test
results and this proves the integrity of the design.

The orbital heating analysis results are one of the integral parts in this thesis work. Usually,
CubeSats thermal model follows the passive model and MLIs are provided to keep the satellite in
thermal equilibrium. The thermal models are not always provided with equal care as the structural
model. This thermal simulation model was prepared to study the thermal behavior of UWE-4 while
in orbit. During the development of the thermal model various parameters are considered and accurate
details are provided for emissivity, absorptivity, coating parameter on panels, solar cells efficiency,
power consumption by PCB, etc. NX space systems thermal allows greater control towards the
orientation of the satellite which play a major role in thermal design of the system. In future, having
known the actual orientation of the satellite from the initial stages will be helpful to predict the
operating temperatures in the future.

In order to verify the results, the orbital parameters of UWE-3 was taken from two-line elements
and provided as additional input to the finite element models in NX CAE for analysis. The system
calculates orientation of the satellite and the orbital parameters based on the input data. Also, the solar
flux values and earth albedo are derived from the datasets within the system. The transient analysis is
very helpful in predicting the thermal behavior of the satellite. The solutions are verified against the
actual data from the temperature sensor mounted on the UWE-3s outer panels. The attained results
very well correlate with the actual data and provide reliability to the developed model. The comparison
of the results and the parameters used to achieve are presented in the section 7.2. This thermal model
will be helpful in future to predict the operating conditions before any important mission objective
execution. Having the thermal model based on in-orbit data from the precursor satellite, the thermal
model of UWE-4 reaches a higher reliability that of any UWE satellite before.

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 CHAPTER 8. CONCLUSION

8.1 Future work

In the context of future work or as an extension of the work done in this thesis, different
objectives can be included.

Integration of the thrusters will provide a sustainable platform for future missions. UWE-4
platform will serve as future base for any upcoming UWE satellites and as precursor mission for the
formation flying mission NetSat. The thruster design is yet to be completed and tested for the mission.
The test results after integration of modified thrusters may call for minor design modifications.

Arrival of additional subsystems (such as cameras) will call for further modifications in both design
and analysis. New wheel drive electronics is also under development. Further changes can be easily
included in the developed CAD model. Mass properties and Moment of inertia can be estimated on
the future model after making the changes. Numerous tests should be conducted to correlate the model
with better results to meet the design specifications. These data can be validated after the UWE-4
mission and a similar procedure can be followed for design and analysis of future missions, to achieve
better results.

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 CHAPTER 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

9. Bibliography

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