American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

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SMART-OLEV Reaction Control System
Mercedes Ruiz
1
, J uan Manuel del Cura
2
and Rafael Rebolo
3

SENER, Ingeniera y Sistemas, Tres Cantos, Spain
David Pehrson
4
and Brett Pokines
5

Moog Inc., Space and Defense Group, East Aurora, New York, U.S.A.
This paper presents the Reaction Control System (RCS) that SENER is developing for
the SMART-OLEV system, procuring subsystem hardware and sharing design activities
with Moog. The spacecraft, built on the SMART-1 platform, is an Orbit Life Extension
Vehicle (OLEV) able to dock with a geostationary satellite to extend its life by taking over
attitude control and station keeping functions with a purely mechanical link and no transfer
of power, fuel or data. Both in stand-alone configuration and in mated configuration, the
SMART-OLEV RCS will be used to generate or compensate torque. The SMART-OLEV
RCS design also provides translational control during the Rendezvous and Docking (RV&D)
phase. Mission requirements and subsequent trade-offs led to an all Xenon propulsion
system, both for the main Electric Propulsion System (EPS) and the RCS. There are few
systems that have considered using such a concept. SMART-OLEV RCS differs from other
systems in the maneuvering capacity of the system and in the Xenon mass flow rates to be
managed by the propellant Pressure Regulation Assembly (PRA). SENER will face these
challenges through the use of Moogs capabilities and flight heritage in system integration
and flow control components.
I. Introduction
MART-OLEV (Orbit Life Extension Vehicle) is a spacecraft whose nominal mission is to provide life extension
and other services for geostationary communication satellites suffering from propellant depletion. The spacecraft
is being commercially developed by a team of companies led by Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), with SENER
and Kaiser-Threde as main partners
1
. The partnership enjoys support of national space agencies; European Space
Agency (ESA), and other co-funding sources.
The OLEV design concept was initially derived from the ConeXpress platform and a Preliminary Design Review
(PDR) based on that design was successfully conducted with ESA. Through design and program evolution the
platform was changed to a platform with direct heritage to the successful Small Mission for Advanced Research in
Technology program (SMART-1) based system. The SMART-OLEV program incorporates low cost and mass bus
hardware from an electrical propulsion SMART test-bed demonstrator produced by SSC for ESA.
The SMART-OLEV will mechanically dock to a client satellites zenith face using its liquid apogee engine
nozzle and launch vehicle interface ring. Neither electrical nor any other connections (e.g., fluid) are necessary to
perform the on-orbit servicing; only the establishment of a mechanical link through the nozzle is required. The
OLEV will take over attitude and orbit control functions for the client satellite allowing the client to continue its
operations as well as other normal functions of the communication satellite, extending satellites commercial life.
Inside the program, SENER is in charge of the Mission Analysis, the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC)
subsystem, the Reaction Control System (RCS) management, design and AIT activities and all Simulators and Test
Benches used in the AIV activities of the program.
For RCS specifically, SENER issued a Request For Quotation to cover part of the work packages related to
subsystem design, components selection, manufacturing and AIT developments. Moog presented a solution based

1
SMART-OLEV RCS Manager, Aerospace Department, mercedes.ruiz@sener.es.
2
SMART-OLEV Project Manager at SENER, Aerospace Department, jm.delcura@sener.es.
3
Fluid Dynamics Section Coordinator, Aerospace Department, rafael.rebolo@sener.es.
4
Sr. Project Engineer, Spacecraft Fluids Control, dpehrson@moog.com,
5
Sr. Project Engineer, Spacecraft Fluids Control, bpokines@moog.com
S

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on their extensive flight heritage in space components and feed systems used in electric and cold gas applications.
An agreement has been settled between the two companies to collaborate inside the SMART-OLEV program and
develop a RCS fully compliant with the mission and system requirements. The contract kick-off is expected to be
signed by both SENER and Moog by the end of 2009.
While the main propulsion system consists of Electric Propulsion System (EPS) that employs Hall Effect
Thrusters, the selected concept for SMART-OLEV RCS is a cold gas system, using Xenon as propellant. The trades
for this selection are explained further in this report, as well as the complexity introduced in the system design by
the use of this gas. In fact, there are few systems that have considered using all Xenon propulsion concept for both
main and attitude control propulsion. SMART-OLEV RCS differs from other Xenon propulsion systems in the
maneuvering capacity of the system and in the Xenon mass flow rates to be managed during the propellant
expansion process.
II. The SMART-OLEV mission
SMART-OLEV is based on the SMART-1 heritage design, a compact but highly efficient platform making use
of the latest technology. In particular, it uses a highly efficient, low thrust EPS to minimize propellant expense
during transfer orbit and for station-keeping in geostationary orbit. Apart from the name, some subsystems and
concepts, SMART-OLEV clearly differs from the SMART-1 baseline, with the main difference being the
spacecrafts mission. While SMART-1 flew to the Moon as an ESA technology demonstration mission, SMART-
OLEV is a commercial vehicle intended to rendezvous and dock with a geostationary platformin order to extend its
operational life.
The SMART-OLEV standard mission consists of the following phases:
1) Launch and Early Operation Phase (LEOP): Typically 2-3 days from lift-off through injection of SMART-
OLEV into a standard geostationary transfer orbit.
2) Orbit Transfer: This will take approximately 150 days during which the SMART-OLEV will continuously
fire its electric thrusters to spiral out to geostationary orbit whilst reducing orbit inclination.
3) Rendezvous and Docking (RV&D): This
phase is the most challenging one during the
entire mission and will eventually happen
over a few days. It is the key phase to
rendezvous and dock to form a composite
configuration with the client satellite to start
the real service for the client. The main
challenge of this operational phase is a
relative navigation up to the final docking
with a cooperative client. This requires the
client satellite to be 3-axis stabilized with no
active interface helping SMART-OLEV to
perform the RV&D. The operational
maneuvers to be performed by RCS during
this phase are critical to dimensioning the
subsystem.
4) Station-Keeping: On station operations will
then commence in docked configuration to
keep the client satellite in its proper orbital slot for at least 8 years (routine operations).
5) End-of-Life (EOL) operations: At EOL the client will be transferred to a disposal orbit (GEO +300 km)
and an undocking process will be performed. SMART-OLEV will then return to the next client starting
again with phase 3, if there is enough fuel in the tanks for that additional operation.
Using the baseline SMART-OLEV mission, the RCS is considered for two main configurations: either the
vehicle is in a stand-alone configuration or the OLEV is already docked with the client spacecraft. In these cases, the
following RCS operations are foreseen:
1) Stand alone configuration
a. Nominal
i. Detumbling after launcher separation.
ii. LEOP commissioning.
iii. RV&D phase.


Figure 1. SMART-OLEV Mission Phases.

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b. Non Nominal
i. Momentum unloading during Orbit Transfer.
ii. Safe Mode, including transition, control and recovery from Safe Mode.
iii. Collision Avoidance Maneuver (CAM) in RV&D phase.
2) Mated configuration
a. Nominal
i. Initial Commissioning including momentum bias unloading and depointing recovery.
ii. Angular Momentum management.
b. Non Nominal
i. Earth Safe Pointing Mode.
ii. Safe Mode, including transition, control and recovery from Safe Mode while mated with the
client.
In addition to these above mentioned standard operations, SMART-OLEV can provide various other services as
requested by a client, including:
1) Undocking and re-docking from one client satellite to another. SMART-OLEV is capable of up to five such
docking/undocking maneuvers. The critical requirements for RCS during the aforementioned phase 3
become even more relevant as these operations shall be performed at different stages, hence conditions, in
mission lifetime.
2) Relocating the satellite in the geostationary arc.
3) Removing inclination from a client satellite.
4) Rotating the orbital nodes for an inclined orbiting satellite.
5) In orbit storage and fleet management.
6) GTO/LEO rescue mission.
The use of both EPS and RCS subsystems for SMART-OLEV baseline mission is summarized in the table
below:



III. RCS Requirements and Design Drivers
The mass and lifetime requirements for the coupled system drive the SMART-OLEV propulsion subsystem
design. The delta-V requirement and the mass range of the client spacecraft rule out chemical propulsion and are,
with current technology, only feasible using electric propulsion. Even then, the required amount of Xenon gas is
driving the satellite design and the mass budget. The requirement eventually resulted in a complete Xenon
propulsion system, i.e., Xenon is the propellant for both the RCS and the EPS.
Table 1. Use of SMART-OLEV propulsion systems for all mission phases.

Mission phase
EPS Orbit
Propulsion
EPS Station
Keeping
RCS Orbit
Propulsion
Momentum
Unloading
LEOP and Commissioning Test - - RCS
Transfer X EPS & (RCS
*
)
Final Transfer X EPS & (RCS
*
)
RV X
**
X RCS
Docking X RCS
GEO Operations, client 1 X EPS & RCS
Transfer to Graveyard X EPS & (RCS
*
)
Undocking X RCS
ORS Return to GEO X EPS & (RCS
*
)
RV X
**
X RCS
Docking X RCS
GEO Operations, client 2 X EPS & RCS
Transfer to Graveyard X EPS & (RCS
*
)
Decommissioning - - - -
*
RCS use not nominal
**
EPS only for the first RV phase

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The RCS subsystem will be used to create forces for the translational control in the RV&D Mode and torques for
rate damping, sun pointing and wheel unloading. The proposed RCS is not a strict 6 Degree of Freedom (DoF)
control system, as it is not meant to generate both forces and moments simultaneously. In fact, a direct full 6 DoF
control is not possible since, as will be explained later, there is a limitation of a maximum of 4 thrusters to be fired at
the same time in a pulsed way (a 6 DoF control would ideally require the availability of 6 thrusters to be used at the
same time). The baseline configuration consists of two separate thrusters sets, one to generate translational forces
(8x2 thrusters) and the other for torque generation (4x2 thrusters), mounting a total of 24 thrusters including
redundancies.
Thrust level and thrust vector
accuracy in direction and magnitude
are of the utmost importance for
spacecraft control during RV&D
phase. GNC simulations have shown
that a thrust level of 0.3 N is
convenient for SMART-OLEV.
However, these simulations show
that a continuous operation of the
thrusters can lead to a significant
attitude disturbance, hence the need
for pulsed operation thruster strategy
for all mission phases.
Consequently, a lower equivalent
force will always be obtained
meaning that a lower nominal thrust
level could, in principle, be selected.
However, requirements regarding
CAM and Safe Mode in the mated configuration may still justify the selected 0.3 N thrust level.
Taking into account the above requirements, and considering a worst case scenario of firing four thrusters at the
same time with a duty cycle of 50%, the SMART-OLEV RCS has to manage a maximum of 2.2 g/s of propellant
mass flow at thruster level. This fact, together with the specific thermal and fluid dynamics characteristics of Xenon,
drives the RCS design and equipment selection and sizing.
A. Propellant selection trade-off
For the previous ConeXpress program, an extensive trade-off was made on the propellants options for the RCS.
Although a cold gas system, particularly Nitrogen, was selected for the ConeXpress, an extensive trade-study was
conducted between Nitrogen and Xenon for the SMART-OLEV RCS. The primary criteria for the trade-off study
were specific impulse, system volume, mass, complexity, reliability, cost and off-the-shelf availability and
technology readiness.



The Xenon resistojets were chosen during the above discussed RCS trade study, as both overall system mass and
volume are significantly lower than the other three options. Nonetheless, the use of resistojets was rejected due to
cost reasons as well as the complexity introduced by the implementation of these thrusters into the spacecraft system
in terms of heater temperature, resistojet power requirements, and valve opening response time control.
Table 3. System sizing estimations for a RCS total impulse capacity of 20000 Ns.

Propellant

Nitrogen Nitrogen
Xenon Cold
Gas
Xenon
Resistojets
Specific Impulse [s] 69 69 28.6 48
Storage Pressure @ 320 K [bar] 300 600 190 190
Propellant Density @ storage
conditions
[kg/m
3
]
274.7 431.3 1875.3 1875.3
Propellant Mass [kg] 29.6 29.6 71.4 42.6
Tank Volume [l] 107.7 68.6 38.1 22.7
Tank Mass [kg] 32.4 42.1 7.2 4.3
Loaded Tank Mass [kg] 61.9 71.7 78.5 46.8
Table 2. RCS function and application per GNC mode.

Mode Function Application
Safe Mode Torque generation
Rate damping
Sun search
Sun pointing
Transfer Mode Torque generation
Wheel unloading
(As backup solution)
Rendezvous Mode Force generation Translational control
Docking Mode Force generation Translational control
Mated Mode Torque generation
Client wheel unloading
Wheel unloading
Earth acquisition (optional)
Undocking Mode Force generation Translational control
CAM Force generation Translational control


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Nitrogen systems have the advantage of an established space heritage. This heritage also lends itself to the
availability of COTS units which significantly reduce the system cost. Nonetheless, the required tank volume to
accommodate the necessary amount of propellant for SMART-OLEV mission was too high to fit inside the volume
allocated for the RCS.
On the other hand, Xenon has the advantage of a much higher storage density (factor of >4) but presents a lower
performance (factor >1.4). When the EPS and the RCS both run on Xenon propellant, the possibility exists for
sharing the same high pressure propellant feed assembly and tanks. The removal of extraneous RCS tank mass
partially compensates for the higher Xenon mass (minimizing the main disadvantage of Xenon). Another cost
advantage of this solution is the use of a single type of fill and drain ground support equipment.
B. Pressure Regulator type
Among the different RCS schemes studied, there are three main philosophies concerning the system Pressure
Regulation Assembly (PRA) design: using a mechanical pressure regulator, a proportional flow control valve or a
bang-bang pressure regulator. The first option is the simplest from the design point of view but introduces undesired
outlet pressure oscillations at the end of life inlet pressure conditions, as well as requiring development of a new
regulator sized to the RCS flow requirements; the second one is undesirable as the development of a new
proportional valve sized to support the SMART-OLEV RCS Xenon mass flows would be required; so the third
solution is preferred for this RCS systembased on the availability COTS bang-bang pressure regulators.
As a practical matter, the higher flow systems using the traditional bang-bang approach of "open upstream valve
to fill interstage volume - close upstream valve - open downstream valve to empty interstage volume - close
downstream - repeat" require either very large, high power direct drive valves (solenoids, torque motors) or alternate
valve technologies (pilot operated valves, pressure balanced valves) to perform the regulation. In the case of the
SMART-OLEV RCS, Moog has therefore proposed an alternate regulation scheme that allows the RCS to se a
standard direct drive solenoid type valve to meet the regulation requirements.
C. Xenon expansion process
The use of Xenon as a cold gas systempropellant is not a traditional choice for spacecraft propulsion. Xenons
specific impulse is very low when compared to other options such as Nitrogen, making it less efficient. Nonetheless,
the increasing use of electric propulsion engines in spacecrafts, has pointed to this gas as a viable propellant for
attitude control thrusters, as system volume, mass and costs can be reduced by sharing the same propellant for both
main and auxiliary propulsion subsystems.
However, Xenon has some peculiar properties that make its use in medium thrust level engines complex. These
peculiarities come from the Xenon critical pressure and temperature, 58.41 bar at 289.77 K. This critical point is
easily achieved inside a cold gas system pressure regulation assembly, and the fluid will then suffer an expansion
from a supercritical state to a final one that can be either a mixture of gas and liquid or only gas at different
temperatures. The final fluid state will depend on the fluid evolution during expansion, and can be controlled in
different ways, depending on the system needs.
Assuming an isenthalpic expansion process from the main propellant tanks through the PRA, a cold two-phase
fluid would be obtained (blue line in Fig. 2). Although the bang-bang pressure regulator can cope with this liquid-
gas mixture and be maintained inside its operational temperature by means of active heaters, the injection of a
double phase fluid inside a Plenum Tank (as this is the SMART-OLEV RCS case) could result in catastrophic
consequences.
For the adiabatic case (0 W supplied to the fluid), the enthalpy (and internal energy) of the pressurizing flow is
very low. This fact has the effect of reducing the pressure and temperature in the plenum, producing vapor
condensation and a decrease of pressure, though the amount of mass in the tank (and therefore the density)
increases. Due to the small liquid specific volume, it is difficult to recover the pressure.
As it will be explained further in the paragraphs below, the Plenum Tank is employed to feed the thrusters in a
blowdown way. This vessel will be thermally conditioned and maintained between 395 K and 320 K. Once double
phase Xenon is introduced in the plenum and closed, the process the fluid will suffer is an isochoric temperature
increase to achieve thermal equilibrium with the spacecraft environment. This would make the mixture liquid phase
to evaporate, hence increasing the pressure inside the tank (red line in Fig. 2).
In order to avoid this, the expansion process must be controlled, introducing heat to the flow to increase its
enthalpy and achieve the desired final state (green lines in Fig. 2). The amount of heat the fluid will need to enter the
plenum in an appropriate state will depend on both the initial and final states and on the mass flow rate to be
thermally conditioned.

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The bang-bang regulator heaters are sized to keep the units above their cold qualification temperature limits. The
heaters do not provide enough heat transfer to significantly change the Xenon gas temperature during operation.
Preliminary analysis suggests that the Xenon temperature exiting the regulator will be approximately 224 K and the
Xenon may be in two-phase flow. Moog has extensive experience with Xenon regulators operating in similar
pressure and temperature regimes. Regulator operation is insensitive to two-phase flow and Moog hardware is not
susceptible to freezing when operated in this regime.
A Heating Assembly will be introduced in between the pressure regulator and the Plenum Tank to provide the
flow with the necessary amount of power.
From the standpoint of system design, it is necessary to ensure that the Xenon in the Plenum Tank remains in a
vapor state. At 10 bar, the gas temperature in the Plenum Tank should be maintained at temperatures 233 K to
ensure a vapor state. While the tank heaters will be sized for this requirement under static conditions, the gas
entering tank may be colder. The RCS will therefore include a heating assembly between the pressure regulator and
the Plenum Tank to provide the flow with the necessary amount of heat input to ensure gas temperatures 233 K .



While electric propulsion devices manage very low mass flow rates (less than 0.1 g/s), the SMART-OLEV RCS
PRA will have to deal with mass flows of up to 5.8 g/s. EPS Propellant Management Assemblies (PMA) do not need
to heat up the flow before arrival to the thrusters, as the small amount reaches an appropriate thermal state on its
way to the thrusters. For SMART-OLEV RCS, the higher mass flow rate introduces two major challenges:
1) Adding enough heat to the Xenon flow before it is introduced inside the Plenum Tank.
2) Managing flow rates by the pressure regulator in an accurate way.
In the following paragraphs, the solution to these issues will be presented for the SMART-OLEV RCS case.
IV. SMART-OLEV RCS Description
A. RCS layout and components
As stated before, RCS and EPS will share Xenon propellant tanks. Main tanks and common high pressure
feeding assembly are outside the scope of this study.
Several configurations were studied in order to determine the best approach for controlling the phase change
resulting from Xenon expansion between main tanks and the Plenum Tank. After several trade studies and
simulations, the following figure presents the selected solution. The block diagram in Fig. 3 shows all components
for the preliminary design of a Xenon cold gas RCS for SMART-OLEV.
The key features of the Moog SMART-OLEV Reaction Control System design include:


Figure 2. Xenon evolution during expansion: a) isenthalpic expansion in blue, b) isothermal
expansion in green, c) isochoric expansion in red.

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1) A one fault tolerant design incorporating three
seat isolation between the High Pressure Feed
Assembly and the Plenum Tank and three seat
isolation between the Plenum Tank and the
external environment. The system layout has been
optimized within the design constraints to provide
maximum functionality while minimizing the
total hardware content.
2) Use of off-the-shelf, qualified hardware wherever
possible to reduce the operational risks, minimize
qualification-testing requirements, and reduce
cost and schedule risks. The baseline SMART-
OLEV Reaction Control System equipment list is
detailed in Table 4.
3) Two Moog solenoid-actuated bang-bang
regulators arranged in a parallel redundant flow
path.
4) Two redundant Heating Assemblies to thermally
condition the Xenon flow entering the Plenum
Tank.
5) A single, off-the-shelf 17.5-liter COTS Plenum
Tank. The Plenum Tank stores Xenon at 10 bars
nominal. During RCS thruster operation the
Plenum Tank may bleed down to 8 bars. The
Plenum Tank will be re-pressurized after each
thruster maneuver.
6) Twenty-four 300-mN Xenon cold gas thrusters to
provide impulse for angular momentum and
position control. The cold gas thrusters are a
derivative of the Moog internally developed cold
gas thruster, modified to meet the SMART-OLEV
requirements.
7) All welded stainless steel construction. The PRA
will utilize 6.35 mm (0.25 inch) diameter high-
pressure tubing. The PMA will use 6.35 mm
diameter low-pressure tubing.
The SMART-OLEV RCS will consist of the following
major assemblies:
1. Pressure Regulation Assembly (PRA)
The PRA controls the flow of high-pressure Xenon from the High Pressure Feed Assembly to the Plenum Tank.
The PRA consists of two parallel redundant bang-bang regulators to control the Xenon flow, two parallel heating
assemblies to thermally condition the flow entering the Plenum Tank, two parallel redundant latch valves to provide
propellant isolation capability, and two high-pressure and two low-pressure transducers to provide telemetry for the
pressure feedback control loop.
Moog's baseline approach for the RCS bang-bang pressure regulator is to hold open the upstream valve and
pulse the downstream valve to meter the flow. The limiting factors in this approach are:

1) The flow capability of the valve orifice at 100% open duty cycle. Moog has addressed this by sizing the
orifice to meet the RCS flow requirements at the low pressure operating point for the long duration
maneuvers.
2) The valve self induced coil heating for long duration on-times. The proposed valve has successfully
demonstrated long duration maneuvers without exceeding its temperature capabilities.
The RCS pressure regulation assembly does not specifically control the mass flowrate, it controls the pressure in
the Plenum Tank. The regulator will be pulsed to allow enough Xenon into the downstreamsystem to raise/maintain
the Plenum Tank pressure within the targeted limits. The actual instantaneous flowrate through the regulator at the

Figure 3. SMART-OLEV RCS block diagram.

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higher inlet pressures will be higher than the required system mass flowrates, but the pulsing will result in an
average flow equating to the required system mass flowrates.
As mentioned previously, a heating assembly between the pressure regulator and the Plenum Tank will ensure
that the fluid entering the Plenum Tank will be maintained in a gaseous state in order to avoid overpressure inside
the tank.
The baseline Heating Assembly concept is based on the heat exchanger used in the Moog model 50X914 Xenon
resistojet thruster
2
. This heat exchanger concept consists of both a resistive heat generator and a unique laminar
element, which efficiently transfers heat to the propellant.
The described heater approach will provide a more satisfactory solution (higher heater efficiency/lower required
power, more efficient packaging, possibly lower mass) for the RCS Xenon heater than a traditional coiled tube
wrapped with resistive heaters.
2. Plenum Tank
The plenum provides the operational Xenon supply for the Reaction Control System. This plenum is an auxiliary
tank where the gas is stored at thrusters nominal feeding pressure. Thrusters are fed by simple blow down of the gas
contained in this plenum. For SMART-OLEV cold gas thrusters this nominal pressure would be around 10 bar.
The Plenum Tank will be thermally conditioned by means of a thermal blanket and temperature sensors will be
implemented to monitor gas conditions inside it. These measures, together with the obtained from the low pressure
transducers included in the PRA, will be used to control the flow expansion in the upstream pressure regulation
assembly.
A 17.5 liter COTS Xenon storage tank will be used for this application, operating between 8 bar and 10 bar.
3. Propellant Management Assembly (PMA)
The PMA controls the flow of Xenon from the Plenum Tank to the RCS thruster branches. The PMA consists of
two parallel redundant latch valves to provide primary propellant isolation during launch, two individual latch
valves providing the capability to isolate redundant thruster branches No. 1 and No. 2 and two service valves
allowing access to the system for Xenon loading and test operations.
4. RCS Thrusters
Twenty-four Xenon cold gas thrusters will provide the spacecraft with angular momentum management, linear
translation capability and attitude control. The thrusters will be mounted in four quadruple thruster bracket
assemblies and four double bracket assemblies.
B. RCS Control
The determination of all RCS activities is a function of the Data Handling Unit (DHU). All RCS temperature and
pressure measurements, and latch valve statuses should be sampled by the DHU. This unit is also in charge of
commanding valves and thrusters. Any RCS logic like safety functions, redundancy logic, safeguard logic, gas-
supply control, and closed-loop thermal control is located in the DHU as well.
Based on high-pressure transducer output and tank gas temperature measurement the DHU can calculate the
momentary gas stock, which may be necessary for leak detection, active storage bookkeeping or autonomous latch
valve control logic. Nonetheless, the baseline solution to estimate remaining propellant mass in the tanks would be
done following another strategy. For this to be done, firing time would be measured. The thruster qualification
process will deliver a model describing propellant expenditure during each pulse including dispersions. Introducing
total firing time in the equations, the DHU would be able to estimate how much propellant has been expended at any
point in the mission
The Xenon gas temperature must be kept sufficiently above the critical temperature of Xenon (289.77K) along
certain parts of the system, in order to prevent it from liquefying. Heater circuits are required for main tanks,
pressure regulators, heating assemblies, Plenum Tank, piping and each individual thruster.
RCS thermal control and temperature measurements responsibility will be divided between RCS control and the
Thermal Control Subsystem (TCS). RCS control will manage the heaters included in the heating assemblies and the
thermal blanket for the Plenum Tank, while TCS will control pipes and other RCS hardware thermal conditioning
V. SMART-OLEV RCS Design and Development Plan
A. Required technology development
In order to fit within the schedule and budget, the RCS components and equipment are based upon existing
products and proven processes to the greatest extent possible. This approach will allow the realization of a

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Protoflight Model philosophy. The proposed RCS concept will require the development and subsequent
qualification process of some of the components used within the RCS. Table 4 shows the baseline SMART-OLEV
RCS equipment list and qualification status.


1. Pressure Regulator
The Pressure Regulator for SMART-OLEV RCS is a dual solenoid-actuated bang-bang regulator based on
existing technology. It consists of two solenoid valves with calibrated flow control orifices, one inter-solenoid
volume, two heaters and two temperature sensors.
The first solenoid valve that can be encountered in the presented configuration separates high pressure feed
assembly from the intermediate volume inside the regulator. The second one is between the intermediate stage and
the Plenum Tank.
These solenoid valves are opened and closed according to the necessary Xenon flow to maintain the pressure in
the Plenum Tank within an established margin. This pressure is registered, as well as temperature, by the DHS.
2. Heating Assembly
During the Xenon expansion process, the flow experiences a great decrease in temperature that might entail a
double phase flow entering the Plenum Tank. If double phase flow enters the vessel at low temperatures, the later
thermal conditioning of the tank would lead to an increase of the pressure inside it as the liquid converts into gas.
This situation is undesirable and in order to avoid it a Heating Assembly will be implemented in between the
pressure regulator and the Plenum Tank.
3. Xenon Cold Gas Thrusters
Functionally each thruster consists of a solenoid valve and a nozzle. The valves provide propellant isolation and
flow control, reliably, and repeatedly using minimal electrical energy with manageable opening and closing peak
currents. The nozzle function is to convert the gas flow pressure into thrust expelling it at very high velocities.
Table 4. Baseline RCS equipment list and qualification status

Equipment Supplier EQM PFM FM Qualification Status
Latching Isolation
Valves (High
Pressure)
Moog 1 2 2 Moog Model 51E311. Flight qualified.
Pressure Regulator,
Dual Solenoid (Bang-
Bang)
Moog 1 2 2
Derivative of Moog Model 51E343. Delta
qualification will be performed.
Heating Assemblies Moog 1 2 2
The heating assemblies to be implemented in
between the Pressure Regulator and the Plenum
Tank will need to be developed. The heaters will
be already flight qualified components, but the
whole assembly will undergo a qualification
campaign.
Plenum Tank COTS 1 1 1
One unit is included in the reduced EQM for the
overall system performance qualification process
Pressure Transducers COTS 3 6 6
Flight qualified. Delta qualification tests required
for EMC compliance.
Fill and Drain Valve
Assembly
Moog 1 1 1 Moog Model 50-1188. Flight qualified.
Latching Isolation
Valves (Low
Pressure)
Moog 2 4 4 Moog Model 51-348. Flight qualified.
Xenon Cold Gas
Thrusters
Moog 4 24 24
Derivative of Moog Model 58E151. The
solenoid valves included in the thrusters would
need some delta-qualification. Nonetheless, the
thruster will undergo a qualification campaign in
order to precisely characterize their performance.


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B. Development and test philosophy
1. Structural Model
Structural verification tests will be carried out on a Structural Model (SM) at satellite level. The spacecraft SM
will be representative with respect to structural properties of the design, while the subsystems will be represented
only by simulators with the representative mass properties. The SM will be subjected to qualification levels during
mechanical tests, which will validate the structural model (FEM). The SM program will assist to find critical
mechanical integration areas in the design. In particular, the complex integration procedures of the RCS and EPS
system will be validated in the SM program.
The SMART-OLEV RCS SM will consist of RCS components and subassemblies mass simulators together with
all the tubing in order to:
1) Verify system fit prior to flight models integration.
2) Perform mechanical shock and vibration tests on the whole spacecraft SM to evaluate the system
performance with respect to the loads and mechanical environment specified.
These tests will measure the stresses and loads that are supported by each subassembly and equipment and
reproduce the environment the spacecraft will face during its life cycle.
2. Engineering and Qualification Model
The EQM will mechanically, thermally and
functionally represent the flight model hardware and
software. It will be able to support a full sequence of
qualification testing on the equipment design. Elements
in the EQM may be of the same type with lower
reliability than flight components and modification may
be made between flight model elements and the EQM
model elements.
The EQM may consist of commercial units, but
need to be flight representative for:
1) Electrical characteristics and interfaces.
2) Functional performance.
3) EMC characteristics.
4) Communication interface.
As explained before, SMART-OLEV RCS
equipments requiring qualification or delta-qualification
are the: pressure regulator, heating assembly and
thrusters. Once they have completed their qualification
tests, they will be integrated into a whole RCS reduced
EQM. This model will be developed in order to qualify
the system concept and design. In this way, the EQM
will allow the characterization of the different RCS
subassemblies in terms of performance and operation.
With this model, the following critical point will be
analyzed and verified:
1) Two phase flow mitigation: Assembling one
Pressure Regulator together with one Heating
Assembly and the Plenum Tank, the whole
controlled Xenon expansion process will be
verified.
2) Thruster long maneuver operation: High
demanding actuations and scenarios will be
simulated on the EQM to prove the validity of
the design against possible problems.
3) Overall system performance.
This EQM approach maintains test and system
analysis validity while minimizing EQM cost.


Figure 4. Proposed RCS EQM Configuration.

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3. Protoflight Model
The qualification of the spacecraft as a system will be performed on the Protoflight Model. Any hardware, not
involved in the SM or EQM test campaigns or that has been updated with a design change originating from SM and
EQM testing, will then be qualified. In particular this will be the case for all fixtures, thermal hardware, cable
harnesses and other items not represented on the SM. Qualification will be performed with qualification levels and
acceptance duration. The PFM will also be used for spacecraft level EMC/RFI testing. The test levels will include
qualification factors relative to nominal conditions, either on levels, or on duration, and are used for the qualification
of the complete spacecraft.
A Proto-Flight Model (PFM) of the RCS will be manufactured and the environmental qualification tests on
subsystem level will be performed at Protoflight levels (qualification test levels in combination with acceptance
duration) l. After completion of the RCS subsystem level acceptance program, SMART-OLEV RCS will be
delivered to the Prime Contractor (SSC) and used in the first Flight Model (FM) satellite.
The tests done on the RCS integrated in the FM satellites are the final verification of the external interfaces of
the RCS to the satellite and as such are part of the RCS verification/validation process.
VI. Conclusion
The SMART-OLEV breaks new ground in its commercial target and the propulsion system design. The
commercial mission to mechanically rendezvous and dock to a client satellite in order to extend its functional
lifetime creates a design challenge that is answered by the use of Xenon gas for both main and attitude control
propulsion. The design concept builds on heritage technically of the ConeXpress and SMART demonstrators but
introduces an innovative Reaction Control System. The RCS uses COTS and Moog technology to produce a Xenon
cold gas system. Key features of the system include: a one fault tolerant design incorporating three seat isolation
between the high pressure feed assembly, use of off-the-shelf qualified hardware which reduces operational risk and
costs, Moog solenoid-actuated bang-bang regulators, heating assemblies to condition the Xenon flow, 17.5-liter
COTS Plenum Tank., and twenty-four 300-mN Xenon cold gas thrusters to provide impulse for angular momentum
and position control as well as for translation maneuvers during RV&D phase.
Acknowledgments
Authors thanks all the team involved in the SMART-OLEV development in SENER, SSC, Kayser-Threde,
Orbital Satellites Services, European Space Agency and Eutelsat. This development is partially funded by Centro
para el Desarrollo Tecnolgico Industrial (CDTI) through the ESA ARTES 3/4 Program of the Telecommunications
Directorate.
References
1
Kaiser, C., Sjberg, F., del Cura, J .M., Eilertsen, b., SMART-OLEV-An orbital life extension vehicle for servicing
commercial spacecrafts in GEO, Acta Astronautica, Vol. 63, 2008, pp. 400-410.
2
Chojnacki, K.T., and Reinicke, R., Xenon Resistojet Design and Development, IEPC 99-022, October 1999.