Hydrazine Propulsion Module (HPM)

American Pacific’s (AMPAC) in-space propulsion (ISP) subsidiary, AMPAC-ISP, has completed the pre-ship review of its Hydrazine Propulsion Module (HPM) in collaboration with Orbital Sciences.

The HPM will be incorporated into the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) satellite.

The satellite is the eighth in the Landsat series and is jointly developed by NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Orbital program engineer, Mike Jones, said that with the completion of the pre-ship review, the HPM has reached an important milestone before its final integration with the spacecraft.

"AMPAC-ISP’s deliverable items were ‘model examples’ for future subsystems, and Orbital has come to expect this level of quality in these products based on the dedicated performance of the entire AMPAC-ISP team," Jones said.

"The HPM has been fully integrated at Orbital, and ISP supported successful pressurisation and functional testing."

The LDCM HPM is equipped with ISP’s MONARC-22 series, 5-Lbf monopropellant thrusters.

The LDCM satellite is planned to be launched in December this year from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in the US to continue the 38-year long Landsat land imaging data set.

Following its launch, the satellite will measure the Earth’s terrestrial and polar regions in the visible, near-infrared, short wave infrared and thermal infrared variations.

LDCM measurements will assist NASA to conduct research in the fields of climate, carbon cycle, ecosystems, water cycle, biogeochemistry, and Earth surface / interior.

The satellite is also used for land use planning and examining on regional to local scales, to support disaster response and evaluations, and water use monitoring.

AMPAC-ISP’s additional propulsion systems comprise of a Minuteman III PSRE, HAS/Peace Courage hydrazine propulsion system, and Critical Measurements and Counter Measures (CMCM-1, CMCM-2) programmes.

Currently, ISP is manufacturing propulsion systems for commercial LEO constellations and target vehicles.

 

Image: The completion of the pre-ship review of HPM marks its final integration into the LDCM satellite. Photo: American Pacific Corporation