CHIPS CubeSat High Impulse Propulsion System
CU Aerospace
Miniaturized propulsion combining main thruster with 3-axis attitude control — non-toxic self-pressurizing propellants, 120M+ valve actuations, 0.54U CHIPS-180 variant.
Technical specifications
- Propellant options
- R236fa and R134a (range-safety approved)
- CHIPS-180 size
- 0.54U
- CHIPS-180 total impulse
- 180 N-s
- Valve cycle life
- >120 million actuations
- Temperature rise
- ~1°C per 10-min cycle
- Minimum package size (no ACS)
- As small as 0.3U
- Isp advantage over cold gas
- ~50% higher
About
CHIPS uses CU Aerospace’s high-efficiency resistojet (superheater) technology with inert propellants. Its valving has been cycled over 120 million actuations. Waste heat from electronics and the resistojet is regeneratively recovered to evaporate propellant, keeping system temperature rise to about 1°C over 10-minute cycles. The all-welded CHIPS-180 variant is an ultra-compact, fully throttleable system; the package can incorporate up to eight ACS thrusters for full 6-degree-of-freedom operation.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
