We managed to snap this is a brief video last week while doing some testing of the electronics for our bi-propellant liquid rocket motor prototype.
The electronics are now fully operational and from now our efforts will focus on final integration of the plumbing and the thrust measurement system.
Showing posts with label propulsion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label propulsion. Show all posts
Oct 16, 2012
Video: Electrical System Test for Rocket Prototype
Sep 16, 2012
Testing of Propellant Flow Actuators
After some unavoidable delays things are back on track with the development of the bi-propellant rocket motor that will power the White Label Space GLXP moon lander.
Here are some photos from last week's bench testing of the actuators that will be used to control the propellant flows during the static test.
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Aug 24, 2012
Tethered Flight Test 1
A short duration hovering test hop was conducted.
Objectives for the test were:
All objectives were successfully achieved.
The photo below shows the vehicle at the point of lift off. Video will be posted shortly.
Objectives for the test were:
- Test the ground, flight command and data logging systems.
- Demonstrate that the vehicle has sufficient thrust to actually liftoff.
- Record orientation data to see how the IMU coped with the flight
All objectives were successfully achieved.
The photo below shows the vehicle at the point of lift off. Video will be posted shortly.
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Jun 29, 2012
Flying Soon at a Rocket Range Near You
Our first hovering rocket vehicle is starting to take shape. This photo shows some of the pieces positioned as they will be on the finished product.
The propulsion system will use three pulse-modulated thrusters running on monopropellant hydrogen peroxide. The project will give the White Label Space team valuable experience in designing and operating rocket vehicles, thus accumulating know-how that will later be used to develop our moon lander.
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May 6, 2012
First Integration Steps for Rocket Motor Prototype
This video shows some of the preliminary integration activities for the throttleable rocket motor prototype currently being developed for the White Label Space lunar lander. It is a liquid bi-propellant motor using nitrous oxide and kerosene. It also features a spark ignition system.
The motor will be commercialized by the Dutch company EDL Hypersystems B.V..
The motor will be commercialized by the Dutch company EDL Hypersystems B.V..
Aug 26, 2011
Fire Control System
Safety comes first in rocketry, and that's why our partner the Swiss Propulsion Laboratory developed this custom fire control system to operate their rocket motor test bench from a remote and safe location.
Aug 8, 2011
Short Firing Test of Development Motor
More progress from the White Label Space propulsion team - this video shows a short firing test of a development motor, a stepping stone towards the engine that will eventually power our lunar lander.
Jul 29, 2011
Hydrogen Peroxide vs Nitrous Oxide
For our GLXP lunar lander's main engine we have been closely investigating designs with two possible oxidizers - hydrogen peroxide and nitrous oxide.
First and foremost these propellants are non-toxic and thus are more desirable from the safety point of view compared to the toxic ones typically used for government financed lunar spacecraft. The additional safety coming from non-toxics reduces the development time and costs, making the development feasible for our small team which has only limited finances.
Secondly, both these propellants can be used in mono-propellant mode by passing them through a catalyst pack (here nitrous has the small disadvantage of requiring pre-heating for its catalyst pack). The specific impulse in monopropellant mode is not terrific so we have selected a bi-propellant system for the main lander engine, combing the oxidizer with a kerosene-type fuel. However, the monopropellant mode is quite useful for secondary thrusters for attitude control, which don't require high specific impulse, or for a deep throttling mode of the main engine that might be useful for the final touchdown when the lander's mass is low.
Both the oxidizers have a long heritage in both professional and amateur rocketry so there is lots of information available for guiding the design process. Indeed, we have already complete preliminary designs for engines of both types. However, there is one more factor that is very important for our thinking - the availability.
It turns out that there are virtually no suppliers of rocket grade hydrogen peroxide in the world, and those that do exist are notoriously unwilling to cooperate with small companies involved in rocket development. Some small rocketry groups using hydrogen peroxide choose to manufacture the propellant in-house, which is a relatively simple process but presents significant risks and requires dedicated facilities for production and storage, taking it beyond the reach of our team. Thus, for some time now we have been scouring the world for suppliers, and so far didn't succeed. (If anybody knows a supplier willing to cooperate with GLXP teams, please send us an email.)
Unlike hydrogen peroxide, the availability of nitrous oxide presents no difficulties. It is widely used across many industries, is cheap, and can be shipped almost anywhere when needed.
Another oxidizer option that is frequently discussed is liquid oxygen. This is non-toxic and relatively easy to handle as well as giving great performance. However, we rule out liquid oxygen due to the uncertainties in thermal conditions that will be encountered during out mission, which make it impossible to accurately and reliably predict the boil-off fraction. Also we consider the development of a space-qualified re-condensor system as not realistic given the timeframe and finances available.
The main downsides of nitrous oxide are its requirement for pre-heated catalyst (if a monopropellant mode is used) and its vapor phase transition behavior, which give extra complication compared to hydrogen peroxide. For these reasons, we plan to keep the option open to go back to hydrogen peroxide later if the availability issue can be solved.
First and foremost these propellants are non-toxic and thus are more desirable from the safety point of view compared to the toxic ones typically used for government financed lunar spacecraft. The additional safety coming from non-toxics reduces the development time and costs, making the development feasible for our small team which has only limited finances.
Secondly, both these propellants can be used in mono-propellant mode by passing them through a catalyst pack (here nitrous has the small disadvantage of requiring pre-heating for its catalyst pack). The specific impulse in monopropellant mode is not terrific so we have selected a bi-propellant system for the main lander engine, combing the oxidizer with a kerosene-type fuel. However, the monopropellant mode is quite useful for secondary thrusters for attitude control, which don't require high specific impulse, or for a deep throttling mode of the main engine that might be useful for the final touchdown when the lander's mass is low.
Both the oxidizers have a long heritage in both professional and amateur rocketry so there is lots of information available for guiding the design process. Indeed, we have already complete preliminary designs for engines of both types. However, there is one more factor that is very important for our thinking - the availability.
It turns out that there are virtually no suppliers of rocket grade hydrogen peroxide in the world, and those that do exist are notoriously unwilling to cooperate with small companies involved in rocket development. Some small rocketry groups using hydrogen peroxide choose to manufacture the propellant in-house, which is a relatively simple process but presents significant risks and requires dedicated facilities for production and storage, taking it beyond the reach of our team. Thus, for some time now we have been scouring the world for suppliers, and so far didn't succeed. (If anybody knows a supplier willing to cooperate with GLXP teams, please send us an email.)
Unlike hydrogen peroxide, the availability of nitrous oxide presents no difficulties. It is widely used across many industries, is cheap, and can be shipped almost anywhere when needed.
Another oxidizer option that is frequently discussed is liquid oxygen. This is non-toxic and relatively easy to handle as well as giving great performance. However, we rule out liquid oxygen due to the uncertainties in thermal conditions that will be encountered during out mission, which make it impossible to accurately and reliably predict the boil-off fraction. Also we consider the development of a space-qualified re-condensor system as not realistic given the timeframe and finances available.
As a result of the above considerations we have selected nitrous oxide for our first prototype rocket motor, which we plan to demonstrate in the fourth quarter of this year.
The main downsides of nitrous oxide are its requirement for pre-heated catalyst (if a monopropellant mode is used) and its vapor phase transition behavior, which give extra complication compared to hydrogen peroxide. For these reasons, we plan to keep the option open to go back to hydrogen peroxide later if the availability issue can be solved.
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Jun 23, 2011
White Label Space is Building a Rocket Engine!
This video is a sneak preview of some early testing that has started within the White Label Space team. Stay tuned in the months ahead for more videos and information...
May 16, 2010
PCB Design for Engine Throttle Controller
Lunar Numbat is now getting close to construction of the first full working prototype of the throttle valve assembly that we will use on our lunar lander engine. The valve assembly will include a digital control system, a custom design by the Lunar Numbat team..
Remember, you can follow the details of their technical progress online because Lunar Numbat is an open source effort!
This PCB design was recently created by Luke Weston and the team is now preparing to build it in hardware. It contains a microcontroller that drives the electric motor as well as an interface for the CAN bus that forms the backbone of the vehicle's avionics.
Other components of the valve assembly include;
Remember, you can follow the details of their technical progress online because Lunar Numbat is an open source effort!
This PCB design was recently created by Luke Weston and the team is now preparing to build it in hardware. It contains a microcontroller that drives the electric motor as well as an interface for the CAN bus that forms the backbone of the vehicle's avionics.
Other components of the valve assembly include;
- motors: MCG ID23900 brush motors.
- servo drive board: Rutex R2020.
- position encoder: E5S-50-250-IEG from US Digital
- ball valve: Apollo 86R-204-01-14
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May 7, 2010
Engine Throttle Valve Activated on Lab Bench
Luke Weston from our open source partner Lunar Numbat has made this video showing progress on the engine throttle valve. The ball valve's position can now be set via software commands sent to the servo drive board.
The valve's first flight test will be on the AUSROC 2.5 rocket in preparation for use on our GLXP lander.
The valve's first flight test will be on the AUSROC 2.5 rocket in preparation for use on our GLXP lander.
Apr 3, 2010
Lunar Numbat Progress on the Throttle Valve Controller
Our open source partner Lunar Numbat is working on the throttle valve controller for our lunar lander. See this blog post for their latest progress on the motor that will control the valve. The post also includes two videos of testing of the controller.
Lunar Numbat is currently working on three projects for our Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP) mission.
Lunar Numbat is currently working on three projects for our Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP) mission.
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Mar 25, 2010
Swiss Propulsion Laboratory on National Television
This TV story about our partner the Swiss Propulsion Laboratory (SPL) was broadcast by the Swiss TV station MTW.
The story shows SPL's unique test facilities and describes their activities and plans. English subtitles are included.
The story shows SPL's unique test facilities and describes their activities and plans. English subtitles are included.
May 30, 2008
The Swiss Propulsion Lab
The Swiss Propulsion Laboratory (SPL) has extensive developing cheap and reliable rocket propulsion systems using non-toxic propellants.SPL is supporting the design and testing of a new throttlable engine based on non-toxic propellants for our mission in Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP).
Below is a news story about SPL by Swiss broadcaster MTW.
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