Active cryocubesat the active cryocubesat will advance the technical readiness level (TRL) of both active thermal control methods for cubesats and miniature cryogenic coolers to enable electro-optical…

This federal contract award, valued at $199,622.69, was issued by the Shared Services Center (part of NASA) to Utah State University (USU) through a cooperative agreement. The contract aims to advance the technical readiness level of active thermal control methods for CubeSats and miniature cryogenic coolers, enabling new CubeSat missions to observe molecular gases in the upper atmosphere. The 24-month project will combine USU's expertise in spacecraft systems, electro-optical instrumentation, and thermal systems with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's knowledge of mechanical pumped fluid loop thermal control systems and additive manufacturing. This effort is not associated with any set-aside designation, reflecting USU's status as a large public research university. The work will be performed at USU's facilities in Logan, Utah, and is expected to demonstrate the combined technology in a relevant environment (TRL 5) by the end of the period.

Active cryocubesat the active cryocubesat will advance the technical readiness level (TRL) of both active thermal control methods for cubesats and miniature cryogenic coolers to enable electro-optical detector temperatures in the 75-100K ranges. Such thermal systems will enable a new generation of cubesat missions that can observe the molecular gasses in the upper atmosphere of the earth and other planets enabling composition, temperature structures, and energy balance to be determined. Specifically the detection of gases with absorption or emission features in the swir, mwir, and lwir regions (2 - 18M) will be enabled. We propose to target a 6U cubesat form factor and adapt a newly developed miniature cryogenic cooler that is approximately 90 MM long and 32MM in diameter. The first stage of the cooling system will be a mechanical pumped fluid loop (mpfl) thermal control system followed by a pulse tube cryogenic cooler. Additive manufacturing will be used to integrate the mpfl within the cubesat structure by facilitating embedded conformal coolant channels. The team involves experts at utah state university in spacecraft systems, electro-optical instrumentation and thermal systems coupled with JPL's expertise in mechanical pumped fluid loop thermal control systems and additive manufacturing. Our partnership brings together a team with unique talents having developed both the cryogenic thermal control system for the saber instrument on the NASA timed mission and the mechanical pumped fluid loop thermal control system for NASA's mars curiosity rover. We will combine this knowledge of high performance thermal design along with fresh perspectives of the university community to develop these new technologies and capabilities for small spacecraft. The total period of performance is 24 months. The starting TRL of these components are at the 3 to 4 ranges with miniature pulse tube cryogenic coolers and additive manufacturing for spacecraft fluid based thermal control systems having been demonstrated in a laboratory setting. We propose to demonstrate the combined technology in a relevant environment (TRL 5) by the end of the period. Students and researchers at utah state university, in collaboration with colleagues at NASA JPL, will complete this work.