NASA’s Game Changing Development (GCD), under the Space Technology Mission Directorate, investigates technology approaches to solve significant challenges for today's and future missions. The GCD program is maturing the iodine propulsion system that will be demonstrated by iSAT, a viable high delta-V primary propulsion system that can be used on NanoSats (1-10kg), MicroSats (10-100 kg), and MiniSa
ts (100-500kg) using a propellant, iodine, that is easy to store and provides a high thrust-to-mass ratio, or in space propulsion (ISP). CubeSats are traditionally limited to draft in the orbit in which they are deployed as a secondary payload, but the iodine Hall system can allow the spacecraft to transfer into a higher value science orbit. iSAT will be able to achieve a delta-V of greater than 500 m/s with less than 1 kg of solid iodine propellant, which can be stored in an unpressurized benign state prior to launch. The propulsion system will be based on a 200W Hall Thruster developed by Busek Co. Inc., which has previously flown using xenon as the fuel instead of iodine. This allows iSAT to alter its orbit inclination and elevation, opening up a wider range of mission objectives than previously possible with spacecraft of this size and allowing for control of spacecraft deorbit. For the iSAT mission, Glenn Research Center (GRC) functions as both the Principal Investigator and the propulsion lead. supplies propulsion system components, chiefly the thruster, cathode, and Power Processing Unit (PPU). Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is developing the flight systems to support iSAT mission objectives.
