Development of the LTO (Lunar Transfer Orbit) System – necessary for Micro-Space GLXP efforts - is progressing. This system, offering flight of small, experimental payloads ABOVE LEO – has attracted attention from NASA and DARPA, since they can envision operational space hardware which will require or benefit from High Orbits. By radically reducing the cost to place experimental hardware in such orbits, the Micro-Space system can greatly accelerate experiments and operational tests of technologies to be used in Molniya, GEO, Lagrangian and other special orbits.

Our present focus is on adding the control and navigational subsystems necessary for “Upper Stage” operations to our production, “Propulsion Module”, while retaining its high fuel mass fraction. With high density fuel, this module starts with 40 pounds of propellant, and will have a 4 pound dry mass with all necessary Com, Nav, Thrust Vectoring and RCS components. With a projected 300 sec ISP, and storable propellants, it can accelerate 16 pounds of payload from LEO to escape velocity. A reduced payload will allow interplanetary trajectories.

Starting with a cluster of three “Propulsion Modules” in LEO (a capability always planned for these units) – and using our “Deep Throttling Parallel Stage” strategy - at least 50 pounds of mass can be accelerated from LEO to escape velocity, and up to 15 pounds landed on the Moon. This is now the “High Limit” for the mass we expect to need to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE. A 150 pound mass in LEO will suffice.

We have an alternate fuel planned which will reduce the efficiency but slash the risks so that these “High Orbit” flight systems will be accepted as commercial “Secondary Payload” for flight to LEO.

A derivative of the “Thrust Vectoring” systems we have flown successfully in the past promises to come in at <30 grams (1 ounce) and integrate well into our production Propulsion Module. An Inertial Navigation System sufficient to stabilize all the powered operations should be under 10 grams. And the 3 DOF RCS is now shaping up at 25 grams mass. All of these are needed in our LTO stage, and these low masses make the projected performance achievable.

For experimental use, we expect to couple the RCS, NAV and COM systems to the Propulsion Module with our Wireless Data Link, and retain these systems in a detached NanoSat after acceleration is completed. Adding a second RCS “Plate” will provide 6 DOF control to the satellite (25 grams added) and another 40 grams will provide a reaction wheel set for continuous attitude adjustment. Thus, 100 grams (10% of the minimum CubeSat mass) will provide for both coarse and fine ADAC stabilization.

This assembly can easily include both Sun Sensors and the ½ gram “Star Sensor” previously discussed. We will be conducting sensitivity tests on one of these units very soon, although previous tests have indicated that the 19 stars and planets brighter than 1.0 magnitude will certainly be viewable, and the next 31, brighter than 2.0 magnitude, almost certainly will be also. These fifty viewable targets will be more than enough for precision navigation.

An important use of our star camera will be to monitor the relative motion of select stars near the Moon's Limb as that body is approached. Although this is less demanding than the Mar's Aerobraking application we studied for a University Paper, that relative motion is the best indicator of Lunar periapse during mid course corrections and setting up for Lunar Orbit Insertion.

Progress is being made, and the pieces are coming together. We should be running the lightweight RCS systems next week, and plan to install a set – with gyro sensing – in a CubeSat demo soon thereafter.