Propellants are chemical substances used in pressurized gas or production of energy which are for generating propulsion of objects like projectiles and vehicles. They are commonly energetic materials consisting of fuel like oxidizer, rocket or jet fuels and gasoline. These produce gas by burning or decomposing but others are liquids that could be vaporized.
Aircraft and rockets use them in producing gas or exhausted material that is expelled through nuzzle for creating thrust. This material either could be liquid, gas, or plasma, and liquid, solid or gel before a chemical reaction has happened. These are cached inside propellant depots on orbit around Earth that lets spacecraft be refueled there.
This allows spacecrafts to launch from Earth without all the needed fuel making more area available for more hardware storage. Doing this will potentially makes completing the mission easier because the items needed could be sent with fewer launches. They will function like a gas station in space for refueling some journeying vehicles there.
Communications satellites, defense ministries, commercial companies and space agencies are those potential users of this technology. Lifetime of satellites that consumed nearly all of their fuel for orbital maneuvering and was placed in geosynchronous orbit will be extended. The satellite would have to approach the depot or vice versa.
Depots like these are on low earth orbit with their primary functions to provide propellant to the transfer stage which are headed to moon or Mars. Smaller launch vehicles could be used to increase flight rates because their costs are lower. A depot can also be placed at the Lagrange point 1 and on orbit of Mars that reduces costs in traveling there.
Propellants take a large portion in the total mass of the rockets during the launch and some advantages are there when depots are used. Less structural mass requirement for spacecrafts because tankers can serve, if reusable, as second stage or launched unfueled. This will create a refueling market on orbit where the prices would go down because of competitions in delivering them.
Some issues in engineering design for depots have not been tested yet in space or orbit servicing missions. These issues include refrigeration equipment maturity, usage for reboost and attitude control, settling and transfer, and requirements for reduced boiloff facilities. Transferring these fuels are difficult in places with no gravity since liquids tend to float away from inlet.
Refilling should also be done by operators of that certain depot with launching tanker rockets that are full of new fuel. Most agencies prefer to be purchasers rather than owners so the facilities would probably be privately operated by the commercial companies. Chemical propulsion tugs that has a short range may be used to simplify docking vehicles and rockets.
More research and trials are still being done by agencies to properly determine the feasibility of these projects. More commercial companies are becoming interested with this technology because their interests in taking advantage of this new market. It would make their plans for space tourism more possible and achievable in a shorter time when these trials are successful.
Aircraft and rockets use them in producing gas or exhausted material that is expelled through nuzzle for creating thrust. This material either could be liquid, gas, or plasma, and liquid, solid or gel before a chemical reaction has happened. These are cached inside propellant depots on orbit around Earth that lets spacecraft be refueled there.
This allows spacecrafts to launch from Earth without all the needed fuel making more area available for more hardware storage. Doing this will potentially makes completing the mission easier because the items needed could be sent with fewer launches. They will function like a gas station in space for refueling some journeying vehicles there.
Communications satellites, defense ministries, commercial companies and space agencies are those potential users of this technology. Lifetime of satellites that consumed nearly all of their fuel for orbital maneuvering and was placed in geosynchronous orbit will be extended. The satellite would have to approach the depot or vice versa.
Depots like these are on low earth orbit with their primary functions to provide propellant to the transfer stage which are headed to moon or Mars. Smaller launch vehicles could be used to increase flight rates because their costs are lower. A depot can also be placed at the Lagrange point 1 and on orbit of Mars that reduces costs in traveling there.
Propellants take a large portion in the total mass of the rockets during the launch and some advantages are there when depots are used. Less structural mass requirement for spacecrafts because tankers can serve, if reusable, as second stage or launched unfueled. This will create a refueling market on orbit where the prices would go down because of competitions in delivering them.
Some issues in engineering design for depots have not been tested yet in space or orbit servicing missions. These issues include refrigeration equipment maturity, usage for reboost and attitude control, settling and transfer, and requirements for reduced boiloff facilities. Transferring these fuels are difficult in places with no gravity since liquids tend to float away from inlet.
Refilling should also be done by operators of that certain depot with launching tanker rockets that are full of new fuel. Most agencies prefer to be purchasers rather than owners so the facilities would probably be privately operated by the commercial companies. Chemical propulsion tugs that has a short range may be used to simplify docking vehicles and rockets.
More research and trials are still being done by agencies to properly determine the feasibility of these projects. More commercial companies are becoming interested with this technology because their interests in taking advantage of this new market. It would make their plans for space tourism more possible and achievable in a shorter time when these trials are successful.
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