Propellants are some chemical substances used for pressurized gas or in production of energy that are for the generating of propulsion for objects like vehicles and projectiles. Commonly, they are energetic materials that consist of gasoline, oxidizer, and jet or rocket fuels. These produce gas through burning or decomposing though others are liquids which 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 must be done by the operators of a particular tanker through launching tanker rockets which are filled with the new fuel. Rather than becoming owners, most space agencies prefer being purchasers instead so these facilities will be operated privately probably by commercial companies. Short range tugs with chemical propulsion might be used to simplify rockets and vehicles docking.
Research and trials have been done more by agencies to determine properly the feasibility of projects like these. More commercial companies will become interested because this technology is a new market that can be taken advantage of. It will make their plans in having space tourism more viable within a shorter time with the success of these trials.
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 must be done by the operators of a particular tanker through launching tanker rockets which are filled with the new fuel. Rather than becoming owners, most space agencies prefer being purchasers instead so these facilities will be operated privately probably by commercial companies. Short range tugs with chemical propulsion might be used to simplify rockets and vehicles docking.
Research and trials have been done more by agencies to determine properly the feasibility of projects like these. More commercial companies will become interested because this technology is a new market that can be taken advantage of. It will make their plans in having space tourism more viable within a shorter time with the success of these trials.
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