CHIPS - CubeSat High Impulse Propulsion System

CUA’s Cubesat High Impulse Propulsion System (CHIPS) is a miniaturized, well-integrated propulsion solution tailored for small satellites, combining both a main thruster and a three-axis attitude control system (ACS). Utilizing CUA’s high efficiency resistojet (superheater) technology and non-toxic, inert propellants, CHIPS offers impressive performance in a compact package. Proven valving has been cycled to greater than 120 million actuations and can be used with self-pressurizing, non-toxic, and inert propellants. Waste heat from the electronics and resistojet is efficiently and regeneratively recovered to evaporate propellant, resulting in low system temperature rise (~1°C) over ten-minute operating cycles.

CHIPS technology provides a great deal of mission flexibility with minimum risk, providing a powerful, customizable propulsion system with minimal size requirement. The all-welded CHIPS-180 is an ultra-compact 0.54U fully throttleable system having 180 N-s of total impulse with refrigerant R134a as its propellant. CHIPS technology can be customized in size to meet customer-specific mission requirements. While CHIPS’ warm-gas resistojet specific impulse (Isp) is 40-50% higher than cold-gas Isp, CHIPS can also be packaged as a cold-gas-only system requiring reduced power. The CHIPS package can incorporate up to eight ACS thrusters for 6 degree-of-freedom (6 DOF) operation.