Integrated Design and Configuration Optimization of Hydrazine Thrusters for Spacecraft Attitude Control

The design of an efficient attitude control system is a critical step in spacecraft development. Among the various options, hydrazine monopropellant thrusters are favored in short-term missions due to their relatively high thrust, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. This study investigates the arrangement of twelve 10 N hydrazine thrusters to provide full three-axis control of a spacecraft. Each axis is controlled by four thrusters, forming a symmetric and balanced configuration to ensure effective torque generation. Three different geometric layouts were proposed and analyzed based on torque performance, structural simplicity, and alignment with the spacecraft’s principal axes. The third configuration was selected as optimal, primarily due to its robustness against shifts in the center of mass and the zero-angle orientation of thrusters relative to the coordinate system. As a novel contribution, the study introduces thermal behavior and fuel efficiency as additional evaluation criteria, offering a more comprehensive approach to thruster placement. By considering both dynamic performance and operational sustainability, the research provides an improved design framework for small to mid-sized spacecraft. The final results demonstrate that integrating multidisciplinary parameters leads to more reliable and adaptable control systems, suitable for real-world space applications.