Development of the solid propellant for kick motor and verification of performance in high-altitude simulation

摘要

The kick motor of the Space Launch Vehicle (SLV) offers thrust for satellites to enter orbit. The kick motor, which is applied by either solid or liquid propellant, has been studied for many years. The composite propellant, which has higher performance than double base propellant, is used for the strategic missile and space booster recently. Characters of the solid propellant for kick motors are affected by space conditions such as vacuum and space radiation. The solid propellant used for such a purpose must not undergo physical, internal ballistic and energetic changes when exposed to vacuum or space radiation. This study describes the development of the solid propellant composition which is based on HTPB (Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene). This solid propellant composition has excellent mechanical properties without volatile plasticizer or catalyst. Also, an experimental study was conducted on supersonic diffuser in order to verify the performance of the solid propellant composition, which was applied to standard motor on the ground in vacuum conditions.