Hybrid Propulsion System for the First Turkish Lunar Mission

Interest in travelling to the moon has been increasing lately because of both discovery of valuable resources and its crucial part in Mars exploration. An increasing number of satellites are planning to be launched to orbit the Moon for scientific studies and to explore the surface with the use of rovers. Lunar transfers are generally of high cost and have only been exercised by big companies or government entities up until recently. Hybrid propulsion is a competitive option for lunar transfer as it is highly safe and offers dramatically reduced cost, enabling low budget solutions to explore the Moon. This study presents the design and manufacture of a Hybrid Propulsion Subsystem (HPS) for AYAP-1 satellite which will be the first Lunar Mission of Turkey. The proposed propulsion system consists of solid rocket engine as propellant (polymeric) and nitrous oxide (N
2
O) as oxidizer and is shown to provide high ISP yielding a new and suitable choice for Lunar Missions.