Spacecraft fitted with a de-orbiting device comprising a detonation engine
A spacecraft including at least one main propellant tank, a main engine fed with propellant by the main tank, and a de-orbiting device. The de-orbiting device includes a detonation engine fed with propellant by the main tank.
1. A spacecraft comprising:
at least one main propellant tank;
a main engine fed with propellant by the main tank; and
a de-orbiting device,
wherein the de-orbiting device comprises a detonation engine fed with propellant by the main tank, and
wherein the main engine is a deflagration engine.
2. A spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the detonation engine includes a heater for heating the propellant such that the propellant passes from a solid or liquid phase to a gaseous phase upstream from an injector device.
3. A spacecraft according to claim 2 , wherein the detonation engine includes a combustion chamber and a cooling circuit for cooling the combustion chamber, the heater including the cooling circuit.
4. A spacecraft according to claim 3 , wherein the combustion chamber includes an outer wall and a core, and an annular space is formed between the outer wall and the core.
5. A spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the detonation engine is arranged opposite from the main engine relative to the main tank.
6. A spacecraft according to claim 1 , comprising two main tanks, of a fuel tank and an oxidizer tank, the main engine and the detonation engine each being connected to both main tanks.
7. A spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the detonation engine is a continuous rotating detonation engine.
8. A spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the detonation engine is a pulse detonation engine.
9. A space launcher comprising at least one stage comprising a spacecraft according to claim 1 .
10. A space launcher according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one stage is a last and/or last-but-one stage of the space launcher.
11. A method of de-orbiting a spacecraft forming a stage of a space launcher according to claim 9 , wherein the stage is separated from the space launcher after stopping the main engine and before performing de-orbiting.
12. A method of de-orbiting a spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the de-orbiting is performed by the de-orbiting device after the main engine has stopped, the detonation engine of the de-orbiting device being fed with propellant by the main tank at a pressure that is less than or equal to 10 bars.