Gauss14
| Gauss14 | |
| |
| Gestartet: | 25.7.2014 |
| Involvierte: | Uberhaxlor |
| Status: | active |
| Beschreibung: | femtosatellite launching platform |
| Shutdownprozedur: | |
| Zuletzt aktualisiert: | 2014-08-27 |
Gauss14
The Gauss14 is a manportable femtosattelite launch platform.
Launcher
Based on the University of Austin Texas design for the SPEAR coilgun. Current goal is to launch projectiles with a mass of up to 10 grams. A SMES device (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage) is the most viable option for storing the launchers energy.
Satellite
The femtosatellite will most likely be based on the CubeSat or ArduSat, electronics must be hardend due to high g-forces during launch (up to several hundred g). Current propulsion proposal is EMFF (Electromagnetic Formation Flight) since it does not use any reaction mass.
Projectile
The first Prototype is a very cheap, reusable Projectile, launched not electromagnetically but by balloon or conventional chemical propulsion.
Guidance
Requirements
- Highspeed realtime positioning and Trajectory correction
- Radiation, temperature and g-force hardened
- Ultra low weight
- Long range low power radio
First choice for the autopilot would be the Lisa/S board for $300.
Alternatively a custom prototype board could also be developed for about €5 to €50.
Control
No suitable light weight solution found yet.
Capsule
Heat and Radiation shielded light weight capsule with integrated miniaturized parachute system.
Major Challenges
Efficiency
Is currently the biggest challenge. Almost all Coilgun designs suffer from low efficiency of only 3 to 9 percent due to losses in the magnetic field and the projectile.
SMES funding
The SMES is still in active research and apperently only a few prototypes are in existence. Aquiring (buying or borrowing one) might be difficult and expensive.
Links
SPEAR coilgun https://www.utexas.edu/research/cem/IEEE/PR%20198%20Bresie%20Publications.pdf
ArduSat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArduSat
CubeSat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CubeSat
EMFF http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_Formation_Flight http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/studies/final_report/793Miller.pdf
SMES http://www.superpower-inc.com/content/superconducting-magnetic-energy-storage-smes http://www.technologyreview.com/news/423227/superconducting-magnets-for-grid-scale-storage/
