Key Note Lecture: Performance of a Micro-pump for a New Generation of Small Satellites Propulsion Systems: Comparison of Various Control Design Strategies,
Résumé
In a context of more future growth of small satellite activities, the space industry is attentive to any new developments, applications or new technologies related to space vehicles that may bring both better performance improvements and costs reduction, this is with the vision to pave the way to potential innovative missions. Thereby, this has enhanced the motivation of the engineers to initiate and to undertake side by side with the researchers the necessary developments at different levels.
So, this keynote lecture will address and discuss the theoretical research work that we have carried out over the last couple of years on a micro pump for a new generation of small satellites propulsion systems, for which the primary purpose was to conceive and to build a prototype device which should demonstrate the desired performance.
Then, in a first step, the research work under consideration has been focused on the way used in order to increase the lifetime of the small satellites, which thus contributes to reduce the costs of launching. In a second step, we describe the investigations led to state the adequate modelling of the system, as well as to develop and to implement the designed automatic control procedures that should make the micro pump system capable to meet the required specifications. Finally, we will show the achieved performance through numerical simulations and the validation with a campaign of experimental tests as well.