Tag Archives: Ion Motor

Aug 8 2013

Euroluna ROMIT1 mission in pictures

Romit1 - Image Credit GomSpace ApS

Romit1 – Image Credit GomSpace ApS

In this video radio amateur Palle Haastrup OZ1HIA, President of Euroluna (OZ9LUNA), describes the Romit1 mission to space in pictures.

Euroluna are a Danish amateur team participating in the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE contest to be the first privately funded team to land and drive a rover on the Moon.

Their first amateur radio satellite Romit1 is a 2U CubeSat that will transmit on 437.505 MHz using 1200 bps AX.25 packet radio. It will be fitted with an Ion Motor and if everything goes well it should, after a year, be able to raise the orbit from 310 km to 700 km. It is planned to launch on an Interorbital Systems Neptune 30 rocket.

Watch Euroluna ROMIT1 mission in pictures

Twitter http://twitter.com/Euroluna

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Euroluna/337261739568

Web http://www.euroluna.dk/

Google Lunar X PRIZE http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/

Mar 7 2013

Interorbital Systems CEO Randa Relich Milliron on The Space Show

Randa Relich Milliron CEO Interorbital Systems

Randa Relich Milliron CEO Interorbital Systems

In this edition of The Space Show Randa Relich Milliron CEO of Interorbital Systems talks about the latest developments at the company which is developing a low-cost satellite launch capability using the Neptune rocket. She indicated the first launches will be sub-orbital.

A number of amateur radio CubeSats and TubeSats are planning to be launched by Interorbital. A launch manifest can be seen at http://www.interorbital.com/Launch%20Manifest%20Page%20_1.htm

Wes Faler also appears on the show. He has been building an Ion powered TubeSat for an Interorbital launch. Wes plans to use a closed cell foam filled with pressurized nitrogen, vaporizing the supporting plastic and releasing the enclosed nitrogen using a spark system similar to that used by Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs).  PPTs create an arc across the face of a solid Teflon bar, turning a few micrograms of Teflon into plasma.  The plasma moves along the PPT’s cathode and anode by Lorentz forces, much the same way that a rail gun accelerates its conducting projectile.

Continue reading →

Mar 1 2013

Ion Propulsion: Euroluna Update on CubeSat HT Power Supply

Romit1 - Image Credit GomSpace ApS

Romit1 – Image Credit GomSpace ApS

In this video Palle Haastrup OZ1HIA, President of Euroluna (OZ9LUNA), describes their work towards a flight ready high tension power supply for the CubeSat Ion propulsion system.

Euroluna are a Danish amateur team participating in the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE contest to be the first privately funded team to land and drive a rover on the Moon.

Their first Amateur Radio CubeSat Romit-1 is a 2U CubeSat that will transmit on 437.505 MHz using 1200 bps AX.25 packet radio. It will be fitted with an Ion Motor and if everything goes well it should, after a year, be able to raise its orbit from 310 km to 700 km. It is planned to launch on an Interorbital Systems Neptune 30 rocket.

Continue reading →

Jul 27 2012

TubeSat aims to test Ion Engine

FRETS1 TubeSat – Image Credit Wes Faler

Wes Faler is building a small satellite called Fluid & Reason Engine Test Satellite 1 or FRETS1.

FRETS1 is a TubeSat-style picosatellite that aims to fly in 2013 on an Interorbital Systems Neptune rocket into a 310 km sun synchronous orbit. Its mission is to test a new kind of ion engine, one designed for higher thrust and lower power than traditional designs.

It’s planned to use a closed cell foam filled with pressurized nitrogen, vaporizing the supporting plastic and releasing the enclosed nitrogen using a spark system similar to that used by Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs).  PPTs create an arc across the face of a solid Teflon bar, turning a few micrograms of Teflon into plasma.  The plasma moves along the PPT’s cathode and anode by Lorentz forces, much the same way that a rail gun accelerates its conducting projectile.

This video gives a brief overview of what a TubeSat is.

Watch SatTV Technology Update – TubeSat

Note it is understood the first launches will take place in California rather than the site mentioned in the video.

Building An Ion Engine http://www.science20.com/satellite_diaries/building_ion_engine-81149

FRETS1 TubeSat http://frets1.wordpress.com/

Interorbital Systems http://www.interorbital.com/

Tubesat – Image Credit Interorbital Systems

May 4 2012

To the Moon on a Shoestring

EuroLuna

EuroLuna

Tor Fos Mortensen gave a presentation about Euroluna to the European Lunar Symposium in Berlin , April 19-20, 2012.

Euroluna are a Danish amateur team participating in the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE contest to be the first privately funded team to land and drive a rover on the Moon.

Their first Amateur Radio CubeSat Romit-1, fitted with an Ion motor, is planned to launch on an Interorbital Systems Neptune 30 rocket.

 

Watch Euroluna Presentation with Sound.wmv

March 2012 – Euroluna OZ9LUNA CubeSat Launch Update http://www.uk.amsat.org/5153

Twitter http://twitter.com/Euroluna

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Euroluna/337261739568

Web http://www.euroluna.dk/

Interorbital Systems http://www.interorbital.com/

Google Lunar X PRIZE http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/