October 2018
Looking for life on Enceladus with IceMole
... the previous strategy would be problematic, as the hazard may no longer be avoidable. In this case, an automatic hazard avoidance mode calculates an optimal melting path on-board to a point that is considered safe, where it will stop and wait for...
October 2015
From the kitchen… to the stars?
...fuel components. This was aimed mainly at checking launch modes and generator stability. Thirteen switch-ons confirmed the ...Establishing how LREs behave under a wide range of operating modes and basic settings, during single and in multiple switch-ons...
March 2018
Mapping the dark universe
... spacecraft is autonomous for 72 hours of nominal operations and has very stringent pointing requirements for fine pointing mode, which necessitate a custom-built fine guidance sensor with a star catalogue that needs to be updated from ground...
January 2019
Engineering six-hour solar eclipses with formation flying
... trackers are used for attitude determination. Conventional Sun sensors and gyros are used for safe modes. During one orbit the formation is broken and rebuilt to perform precise formation flying during apogee. Formation...
July 2020
Key technologies for space exploration
...set of demands, SNC invented a new type of multi-mode engine manoeuvring thruster, called the VORTEX® engine, that delivers..., environmentally clean, non-toxic propellant. In high-thrust mode, the VORTEX thruster burns a liquid fuel and a liquid oxidiser...
July 2021
Nitrous oxide – a green propellant for commercial space exploration
... orbital manoeuvres. Because a whole range of propulsion functions can be covered by this self-pressurising propellant, multi-mode propulsion systems have been envisioned to satisfy a wide variety of space missions. Mark-III resistojet using nitrous...
