ASRC Federal Astronautics, LLC (AFA) is pleased to present this proposal for the demonstration of feasibility of an additively manufactured, highly dexterous mechanism that enables the safe, leak-free transfer of the storable oxidizer (nitrogen tetroxide, NTO, or mixed oxides of nitrogen, MON). Our Additively manufactured Dexterous Leak-proof Interface (ADLI) is a radically simple design that uses three additively manufactured (AM) parts configured to interface with just a few commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. Importantly, our design uses no seals and no soft goods, yet still interfaces with propellant service valves along any vector within a full hemisphere about the hinge for the pitch axis. In short, ADLI provides the flexibility to transfer propellant from a servicing satellite, which is in a huge range of orientations relative to a dead satellite with virtually any propellant service valve configuration. ADLI exhibits several features that bring benefits to future satellite servicing missions: ADLI will meet or exceed the leak requirement of 1x10-5 standard cm3 per second of gaseous helium. ADLI has two joints thatare actuated separately, so the outlet can be normally-oriented to any point on a hemisphere situated about the pitch axis, which provides enormous flexibility for orienting the servicing spacecraft and for interfacing with the spacecraft being serviced. ADLI uses metal AM for manufacturing the basic fluid bulkheads, any number and diameter of inlet and outlet tubes can be bought and used, which means a wide range of flowrates and pressure drops can be accommodated to meet mission requirements. ADLI’s service life will be far in excess of 10 cycles, which helps enhance the profitability and the return on investment for satellite servicing companies. Because we use Ti-6-4 and Nitinol for the primary components, ADLI should be highly compatible with NTO, which our Phase I project will confirm.

NTO transfer interface for satellite servicing missions

NTO transfer interface for satellite servicing missions