Hybrid Propellant Tanks for Spacecraft and Launch Vehicles

Abstract

Within the last ten years, the commercial communications satellite industry has seen increasing demand for satellites with larger capacity and longer on-orbit life. Both requirements lead to the development of propellant tanks with increasing volumetric capacity. However, due to the size limitation of launch vehicles, satellites and, therefore, satellite propellant tanks, can only grow in length rather than girth. As the traditional monolithic titanium tanks grew longer, they became less mass efficient, and technical, economical, and compliance issues demanded a new approach to the design and fabrication of satellite propellant tanks.