A Rail-Mounted Pumping System Developed for Suborbital Rockets

Abstract

Suborbital rockets that fly focal-plane cameras that need to be cooled to optimize their operation face a series of challenges around their operation. These include maintaining a high-quality vacuum and the cooling of the detectors in a controlled way. These challenges are further heightened by the requirement that no current flows through the payload systems while the rocket motors are being armed. This paper discusses the novel pumping and cooling system implemented for the 2022 launch of the Rockets for Extended-source X-ray Spectroscopy (tREXS), including the use of a magnetic umbilical to connect the vacuum foreline to the rocket skin.