Fields of Expertise:
Propulsion/Propellants
Firestar is currently working on the development of a new high performance monopropellant. Work to date has included:- Chemical blend formulation/optimization. Chemical and thermophysical property analysis and experimental evaluation.
- Advanced heat transfer and gas dynamics analysis
- Micro-fluidics theory, design, analysis, and experimentation
- Propellant ground handling and safety qualification
- Thruster design/fabrication/testing
- Gas/Liquid/Two-phase Fluid handling and Fluid Regulation hardware development
- Ground Support Equipment and Test Hardware development
- Thruster test software/electronics development
Instrumentation
Firestar’s experience in instrumentation has included:
- Advanced multi-focal length imaging and high resolution microscopy systems
- Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy/Raman spectroscopy
- Pulsed cavity ring down laser absorption spectroscopy. Optical waveguide design
- Data acquisition for general experimentation
Firestar has developed working knowledge and in-house capabalities of inflatable/rigidizable composite materials:
- Deployable mobility systems (large rigidizing wheels)
- Deployable space habitats and satellite components