Redundant SmallSat Propulsion Controller
VACCO Industries
A fully redundant, radiation-tolerant propulsion system controller module from VACCO optimized for SmallSats and CubeSats, providing independent primary and redundant control of thruster valves, latch valves, and heaters.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Design life
- 5 years
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Valve drivers
- 10 valve drivers with automatic stepdown voltage (per controller)
- Heater drivers
- 10 Heater Drivers (per controller)
- Temperature sensing
- 4 Thermistors & 10 Thermocouples (per controller)
- Temperature control
- Closed loop temperature control
- Pressure sensor inputs
- 3 pressure sensor inputs (per controller)
- Analog inputs
- Auxiliary analog inputs
- Data interface
- RS-422, full duplex data interface
- Health monitoring rate
- 10 Hz
- Command rate
- 10Hz command rate
- Firing command response
- Within 5ms
- Firing time resolution
- 1ms
- Radiation testing
- Passed radiation testing at 22 kRAD and 200 MeV protons (tested without shielding)
- Radiation sensors
- Built-in radiation sensors: 0-2kRAD and 0-13kRAD
- Flight heritage
- LEO (NanoACE), two MarCO units flown to Mars
- Radiation test heritage
- 22kRAD TID and high energy 200 MeV proton SEE tests
- Design life radiation environment
- Built to withstand GEO radiation environment for 5 years
- Valve position sensing
- Latch valve position sensing
- Redundancy
- Fully redundant with separate, independent, isolated primary and redundant controllers
- Compatibility
- Compatible with blowdown systems and pressure regulated systems
- Housing
- Aluminum housing, customizable for additional radiation shielding
About
VACCO’s Propulsion System Controller Module is optimized for SmallSats and CubeSats. It is fully redundant with separate primary and redundant controllers that work independently and are completely isolated from each other. Each controller includes advanced drivers for Thruster Valves, Latch Valves and Heaters. The controller is compatible with both blowdown systems and pressure regulated systems. The electronic hardware design is capable of facilitating control of series/parallel redundant electronic pressure regulators, including control of digital pulse-width-modulated control valves; flight-proven software and valves are readily available to support this option. This radiation tolerant module heavily leverages components with flight heritage and TID and SEE testing to provide a robust controller package. The aluminum housing can easily be customized to provide additional radiation shielding. The design is flight proven from LEO (NanoACE) to Mars (MarCO) and beyond. The latest redundant controller design is built to withstand the radiation environment of GEO for 5 years. Each of the two redundant controllers includes 10 valve drivers with automatic stepdown voltage, 10 heater drivers, 4 thermistors and 10 thermocouples, closed loop temperature control, 3 pressure sensor inputs, auxiliary analog inputs, an RS-422 full duplex data interface, health monitoring transmitted at 10 Hz, 10 Hz command rate, firing command response within 5ms, firing time resolution to 1ms, latch valve position sensing, and built-in radiation sensors (0-2kRAD and 0-13kRAD).
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.