DOCSLIB.ORG

A Survey of Communication Sub-Systems for Intersatellite

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Survey of Communication Sub-Systems for Intersatellite 290 JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS, VOL. 7, NO. 4, APRIL 2012 A Survey of Communication Sub-systems for Intersatellite Linked Systems and CubeSat Missions Paul Muri, Janise McNair Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida P.O. Box 116130, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA Email: pmuri@ufl.edu, [email protected]fl.edu Abstract— Intersatellite links or crosslinks provide direct section III. In section IV, open research issues such as connectivity between two or more satellites, thus eliminating internet protocol layering, delay tolerant networking lay- the need for intermediate ground stations when sending ering, radio frequency allocation, optical communications, data. Intersatellite links have been considered for satellite constellation missions involving earth observation and com- applications, and orbital properties are analyzed. munications. Historically, a large satellite system has needed an extremely high financial budget. However, the advent of II. INTERSATELLITE LINKING COMMUNICATION the successful CubeSat platform allows for small satellites of less than one kilogram. This low-mass pico-satellite class SUB-SYSTEMS platform could provide financially feasible support for large Intersatellite links have appeared in certain large plat- platform satellite constellations. This article surveys past form satellite constellations for over 30 years. Exam- and planned large intersatellite linking systems. Then, the article chronicles CubeSat communication subsystems used ples of these large communication relay constellations historically and in the near future. Finally, we examine the include TDRSS and Iridium. More recently, CubeSats history of inter-networking protocols in space and open have changed the communication philosophy from long- research issues with the goal of moving towards the next range point-to-point propagations to a multi-hop network generation intersatellite-linking constellation supported by of small orbiting nodes [2]. Separating system tasks CubeSat platform satellites. into many dispersed sensor nodes can increase overall Index Terms— Satellites, Earth Observing Systems, Satellite constellation coverage, system survivability, and versatil- Communication, Satellite Constellations, Wireless Networks ity [3]. However, to understand the challenges involved in satellite networking, large-platform intersatellite linking I. INTRODUCTION systems were chronicled and listed in table I. Details of the frequency, protocol, application, and orbit of all the In 1954, the United States Navy started relaying signals intersatellite linked satellite systems are presented in this off the moon. This simple reflection experiment led to the section. world’s first space communications satellite system: Com- munication Moon Relay (CMR). CMR allowed Hawaii to TABLE I. communicate with Washington, DC [1]. For many years HISTORY OF INTERSATELLITE LINKING (ISL) SYSTEMS after, satellite systems were simple relays consisting of a ground station to satellite uplink channel, and a satellite Launch Year(s) Satellite(s) ISL Frequency to ground station downlink channel. Following simple 1972-1978 OSCARs 6, 7, 8 146 MHz relay systems, a constellation of satellites that commu- 1976 LES-8 and 9 36, 38 Ghz nicated directly with one another was designed. Instead 1983-2013 TDRSS C, Ku, Ka of simple uplinks and downlinks between a satellite and 1985-1995 Luch UHF, Ka its ground station, these systems would use satellite-to- 1994 ETS-6 2, 23, 32 GHz, Optical satellite relays known as crosslinks. Crosslinks allowed 1997 Navstar Block IIR UHF for less ground stations. Also, frequencies that are quickly 1997 Iridium 23 GHz attenuated in the atmosphere could be used, making the 1998 Comets (ETS-7) 2 GHz link undetectable and unjammable from the ground. In 1994-2003 MilSTaR I/II 60 GHz 1998 Spot-4 Optical section II, this paper surveys the frequency, protocol, 2001 Artemis S, Ka Optical application, and orbit of satellite systems launched that 2002 Envissat S-band featured a crosslink. With CubeSats seen as a viable 2002 Adeos-II 2 GHz, 26 GHz platform for intersatellite communications, the report 2005 OICETS Optical details frequency allocation, protocol, application, orbit, 2010 AEHF SV-1 60 GHz and communication subsystems used for all CubeSats in 2015 Iridium Next 23 GHz Manuscript received Jan 12, 2012; accepted March 25, 2012 © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER doi:10.4304/jcm.7.4.290-308 JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS, VOL. 7, NO. 4, APRIL 2012 291 A. 1972, 74, 78 OSCARs 6, 7, 8 absorbs the microwave band. However, with the technol- The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation’s (AMSAT’s) ogy in 1971, little test equipment was available beyond first generation of Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur 40 GHz. As a result, LES-8 and LES-9 demonstrated Radio (OSCARs) were launched in the early 1960s. Soon crosslinks at the Ka-band (36 GHz and 38 GHz) [6]. after, AMSAT began work on a second-generation known 60 GHz crosslinks came later in MilSTAR constellation as OSCARs 6, 7, and 8. These amateur satellites were described in section II-J. Intersatellite antennas were ◦ characterized by an intersatellite repeater capability [4]. either a 24 db gain horn with 10 beamwidth or a more ◦ OSCAR 6 received at VHF frequency of 146 MHz and directional 42.6 db gain dish with 1.15 beamwidth. ◦ transmitted at 29.5 MHz with a repeater bandwidth of The satellites were steerable +/-10 by a gimbaled flat 100 kHz. OSCAR 7 had two repeaters. The first repeater plate [7]. was similar to OSCAR 6 except for a slight frequency As for a power budget, LES-8 and LES-9 had no solar change and increased output transmission power. OS- cells or batteries. Instead, radioisotope thermoelectric gen- CAR 7’s other repeater received at UHF 432 MHz and erators (RTGs) powered the satellites. RTGs are the same transmitted at VHF, 146 MHz. An on-board timer on sources that power the 1977 Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft OSCAR 7 automatically switched from one repeater to that have explored beyond our solar system. the other daily. Also, satellite communication control An advantage of the Lincoln Lab’s space communica- circuitry automatically switched one repeater on in a tions program was that each LES was developed in the low-power mode when the battery was discharged to a same facility. Lincoln Labs was able to experiment exten- certain point. On several occasions, OSCAR 6 and 7 sively for end-to-end communication testing including the were used together with a 432 MHz uplink to OSCAR 7, ground terminals that Lincoln developed for the Air Force a 146 MHz intersatellite link, and a 29 MHz downlink and Navy. The smooth testing following the launching of from OSCAR 6. OSCAR 8 also had two repeaters. the satellites could be attributed to this. OSCAR 8’s first repeater was the same as OSCAR 7, Optical crosslink communication for LES-8 and LES- operating at a 146 MHz crosslink and 29 MHz downlink. 9 was also considered. However, the idea was later OSCAR 8’s second repeater received at 146 MHz and dismissed in 1971 because it was considered infeasible transmitted at 435 MHz. Only one repeater was on at a with the current technology and beyond the resources of time. So, OSCARs 7 and 8 could relay to OSCAR 6 or the project [5]. Optical crosslinks were accomplished with themselves. As a result, AMSAT demonstrated the first the Artemis satellite described in section II-K. So, one can simple omni-directional intersatellite repeating system. conclude that LES-8 and LES-9 set the groundwork for AMSAT’s OSCAR 7 still remains semi-operational. many future satellite communication systems. C. 1983-2013, TDRSS Starting in 1983, NASA launched a series of geosta- tionary satellites to relay low earth orbit (LEO), 300 km to 1,000 km, spacecraft communications. This Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) satellite communi- cation system increases the time window that spacecraft are in communication with ground terminals from ten minute intervals to virtually round the clock. Another advantage of TDRSS is during atmospheric re- entry of manned missions. During re-entry of spacecraft during Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, communi- cation was lost due to the tremendous heating experienced by the craft and is termed ”re-entry blackout”. However during the space shuttle missions, communication was not Figure 1. OSCARS 6 to OSCAR 7 and 8 carrier frequency bands lost because TDRSS relayed transmission from the cooler conditioned antennas on top of the shuttle. Previously launched from space shuttle missions, the B. 1976, LES-8 and 9 most recent generation of TDRSS are launched from The Lincoln Laboratory experimental satellites 8 and rockets. This generation of TDRS provides downlinking 9, known as LES-8 and LES-9, demonstrated long-range datarates of 300 Mbps and 800 Mbps in Ku/Ka and S- digital transmissions in many bands between themselves bands respectively with five meter diameter dishes [8]. and ground terminals. Once launched, LES-8 and LES-9 Also, a C-band phased array antenna can receive from five thrust 90◦ apart to a coplanar, inclined, circular, geosyn- different spacecraft while transmitting to another location chronous orbit [5]. simultaneously [9]. Engineers at Lincoln desired crosslinks at a 60 GHz TDRSS supports some of NASA’s most famous mis- frequency band because of how oxygen molecules in the sions. LEO spacecraft such as the space shuttle, Hubble atmosphere absorb 60 GHz. This is much like how water telescope, LANDSAT, ISS all have their signals relayed © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER 292 JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS, VOL. 7, NO. 4, APRIL 2012 from TDRSS to NASA ground terminals [10]. TDRSS E. 1994, ETS-6 has three main command and control ground terminal lo- The Experimental Test Satellite (ETS-6) was developed cations at White Sands (WSGT) in New Mexico, Goddard and launched by NASDA, Japan’s National Space De- (GRGT) in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Guam (STGT) as velopment Agency, renamed to JAXA, Japan Aerospace shown in figure 2. Exploration Agency after 2003.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Survey and Assessment of the Capabilities of Cubesats for Earth Observation
    Acta Astronautica 74 (2012) 50–68 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Acta Astronautica journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/actaastro Review A survey and assessment of the capabilities of Cubesats for Earth observation Daniel Selva a,n, David Krejci b a Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA b Vienna University of Technology, Vienna 1040, Austria article info abstract Article history: In less than a decade, Cubesats have evolved from purely educational tools to a standard Received 2 December 2011 platform for technology demonstration and scientific instrumentation. The use of COTS Accepted 9 December 2011 (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) components and the ongoing miniaturization of several technologies have already led to scattered instances of missions with promising Keywords: scientific value. Furthermore, advantages in terms of development cost and develop- Cubesats ment time with respect to larger satellites, as well as the possibility of launching several Earth observation satellites dozens of Cubesats with a single rocket launch, have brought forth the potential for University satellites radically new mission architectures consisting of very large constellations or clusters of Systems engineering Cubesats. These architectures promise to combine the temporal resolution of GEO Remote sensing missions with the spatial resolution of LEO missions, thus breaking a traditional trade- Nanosatellites Picosatellites off in Earth observation mission design. This paper assesses the current capabilities of Cubesats with respect to potential employment in Earth observation missions. A thorough review of Cubesat bus technology capabilities is performed, identifying potential limitations and their implications on 17 different Earth observation payload technologies. These results are matched to an exhaustive review of scientific require- ments in the field of Earth observation, assessing the possibilities of Cubesats to cope with the requirements set for each one of 21 measurement categories.
    [Show full text]
  • Softbank Corp. Annual Report 2019 Softbank Corp
    SoftBank Corp. Annual Report 2019 SoftBank Corp. We don’t just dream. We make things happen. We’re going beyond just being a carrier — we’re transforming into a visionary platformer. We don’t just dream up things. We take the world’s advanced ideas, and turn them into reality with our drive to make things happen. We do this so tomorrow’s people will be the happiest in human history. SoftBank Corp. ANNUAL REPORT 2019 1 Introducing Our First Annual Report SoftBank Group Corporate Philosophy Ken Miyauchi President & CEO Information Revolution SoftBank Corp. — Happiness for Everyone In December 2018, SoftBank Corp. (the “Company” or “SoftBank”) of this technological evolution, SoftBank has expanded its business listed its shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. scale in step with society’s growth. The second is our ability to grow I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to our businesses. We have expanded our business operations by bringing shareholders, investors, and other stakeholders for their support together and regenerating companies in crisis, including JAPAN to date. TELECOM CO., LTD., Vodafone K.K., WILLCOM, Inc., and eAccess Ltd. The third is our ability to overcome adverse environments. In its role as a strategic holding company, our parent company Sometimes, we have faced headwinds, but we have always taken SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank Group”). is accelerating the pace on adverse situations directly, focused on self-improvement, and of global investment in accordance with the Cluster of No. 1 AI thereby achieved further growth. Strategy. Meanwhile, as the primary operating company in Japan With a view to communicating our growth strategy and related and with the telecommunications business at its core, SoftBank is initiatives more clearly, we have issued our first annual report, Since our founding, the SoftBank Group has sought to use the engaging in a wide range of businesses.
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Development of Net Neutrality Conditions in Japan: Impact of Fiber Wholesale and Long-Term Evolution (LTE)
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Jitsuzumi, Toshiya Conference Paper Recent Development of Net Neutrality Conditions in Japan: Impact of Fiber Wholesale and Long-term Evolution (LTE) 26th European Regional Conference of the International Telecommunications Society (ITS): "What Next for European Telecommunications?", Madrid, Spain, 24th-27th June, 2015 Provided in Cooperation with: International Telecommunications Society (ITS) Suggested Citation: Jitsuzumi, Toshiya (2015) : Recent Development of Net Neutrality Conditions in Japan: Impact of Fiber Wholesale and Long-term Evolution (LTE), 26th European Regional Conference of the International Telecommunications Society (ITS): "What Next for European Telecommunications?", Madrid, Spain, 24th-27th June, 2015, International Telecommunications Society (ITS), Calgary This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/127152 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte.
    [Show full text]
  • Istanbul Technical University Institute of Science And
    İSTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY « INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DESIGN STUDY OF A COMMUNICATION SUBSYSTEM AND GROUND STATION FOR ITU-pSAT II M.Sc. Thesis by Melih FİDANOĞLU Department : Institue of Science and Technology Programme : Defence Technologies JANUARY 2011 İSTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY « INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DESIGN STUDY OF A COMMUNICATION SUBSYSTEM AND GROUND STATION FOR ITU-pSAT II M.Sc. Thesis by Melih FİDANOĞLU (514071013) Date of submission : 20 December 2010 Date of defence examination: 24 January 2011 Supervisor (Chairman) : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan İNALHAN (ITU) Members of the Examining Committee : Prof. Dr. İbrahim ÖZKOL (ITU) Prof. Dr. Metin Orhan KAYA (ITU) JANUARY 2011 İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ « FEN BİLİMLERİ ENSTİTÜSÜ ITU-pSAT II İÇİN İLETİŞİM ALTSİSTEMİ VE YER İSTASYONU TASARIM ÇALIŞMASI YÜKSEK LİSANS TEZİ Melih FİDANOĞLU (514071013) Tezin Enstitüye Verildiği Tarih : 20 Aralık 2010 Tezin Savunulduğu Tarih : 24 Ocak 2011 Tez Danışmanı : Doç. Dr. Gökhan İnalhan (İTÜ) Diğer Jüri Üyeleri : Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özkol (İTÜ) Prof. Dr. Metin Orhan Kaya (İTÜ) OCAK 2011 FOREWORD First of all, I would like to thank my advisor, Gökhan İnalhan for the opportunity to work in the fantastic setup of Control and Avionics Laboratory and to work with the research team here. I would like to thank ITU-pSAT II project team including Emre Koyuncu, Melahat Cihan, Elgiz Başkaya and Soner Işıksal for being my project teammates. Also, my sincere thanks goes to Control and Avionics Lab's fellow labmates, including, but not limited to, Serdar Ateş, Oktay Arslan and Nazım Kemal Üre. A special thanks goes to TÜBİTAK. Without their contributions, this project would not be possible.
    [Show full text]
  • The United States-Japan Negotiations on Interconnection Pricing
    Volume 43, Number 2, Spring 2002 Exporting Telecommunications Regulation: The United States-Japan Negotiations on Interconnection Pricing Jeffrey H. Rohlfs∗ J. Gregory Sidak∗∗ I. Introduction On February 15, 1997, seventy countries working within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on a multilateral reduction of regulatory barriers to competition in international telecommunications services.1 At the time, the signatory nations to the WTO agreement on tele- communications services represented markets generating ninety-five percent of the $600 billion in global telecommunications revenues.2 Beginning January 1, 1998, those nations started a phased process to open their tele- communications markets to competition. Since 1997, the U.S. government has attempted to use the WTO agreement on telecommunications services as a vehicle for “exporting” American principles of telecommunications regula- tion to other nations. Part II of this Article explains how in 1997 the United States took the position that the WTO agreement on telecommunications services requires ∗ A.B., Amherst College, 1965; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1969. Principal, Strate- gic Policy Research, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland. ∗∗ A.B. Stanford University, 1977; A.M., J.D., Stanford University, 1981. F. K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow in Law and Economics Emeritus, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Washington, D.C. The views expressed here are solely our own, and not those of the American Enterprise Institute, which does not take institutional positions on speciªc legislative or regulatory matters. We thank Martin Cave, Robert W. Crandall, Gary Epstein, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, Edward M. Graham, William Lake, Herbert Marks, Mark S. McConnell, John Thorne, and Masayoshi Yamashita for helpful comments.
    [Show full text]
  • Orbital Lifetime Predictions
    Orbital LIFETIME PREDICTIONS An ASSESSMENT OF model-based BALLISTIC COEFfiCIENT ESTIMATIONS AND ADJUSTMENT FOR TEMPORAL DRAG co- EFfiCIENT VARIATIONS M.R. HaneVEER MSc Thesis Aerospace Engineering Orbital lifetime predictions An assessment of model-based ballistic coecient estimations and adjustment for temporal drag coecient variations by M.R. Haneveer to obtain the degree of Master of Science at the Delft University of Technology, to be defended publicly on Thursday June 1, 2017 at 14:00 PM. Student number: 4077334 Project duration: September 1, 2016 – June 1, 2017 Thesis committee: Dr. ir. E. N. Doornbos, TU Delft, supervisor Dr. ir. E. J. O. Schrama, TU Delft ir. K. J. Cowan MBA TU Delft An electronic version of this thesis is available at http://repository.tudelft.nl/. Summary Objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) experience low levels of drag due to the interaction with the outer layers of Earth’s atmosphere. The atmospheric drag reduces the velocity of the object, resulting in a gradual decrease in altitude. With each decayed kilometer the object enters denser portions of the atmosphere accelerating the orbit decay until eventually the object cannot sustain a stable orbit anymore and either crashes onto Earth’s surface or burns up in its atmosphere. The capability of predicting the time an object stays in orbit, whether that object is space junk or a satellite, allows for an estimate of its orbital lifetime - an estimate satellite op- erators work with to schedule science missions and commercial services, as well as use to prove compliance with international agreements stating no passively controlled object is to orbit in LEO longer than 25 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Pocketqube Standard Issue 1 7Th of June, 2018
    The PocketQube Standard Issue 1 7th of June, 2018 The PocketQube Standard June 7, 2018 Contributors: Organization Name Authors Reviewers TU Delft S. Radu S. Radu TU Delft M.S. Uludag M.S. Uludag TU Delft S. Speretta S. Speretta TU Delft J. Bouwmeester J. Bouwmeester TU Delft - A. Menicucci TU Delft - A. Cervone Alba Orbital A. Dunn A. Dunn Alba Orbital T. Walkinshaw T. Walkinshaw Gauss Srl P.L. Kaled Da Cas P.L. Kaled Da Cas Gauss Srl C. Cappelletti C. Cappelletti Gauss Srl - F. Graziani Important Note(s): The latest version of the PocketQube Standard shall be the official version. 2 The PocketQube Standard June 7, 2018 Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Purpose .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 2. PocketQube Specification ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 General requirements ....................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Mechanical Requirements ................................................................................................................................. 5 2.2.1 Exterior dimensions ..................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • FASTSAT a Mini-Satellite Mission…..A Way Ahead”
    Proposed Abstract: Under the combined Category and Title: “FASTSAT a Mini-Satellite Mission…..A Way Ahead” Authors: Mark E. Boudreaux, Joseph Casas, Timothy A. Smith The Fast Affordable Science and Technology Spacecraft (FASTSAT) is a mini-satellite weighing less than 150 kg. FASTSAT was developed as government-industry collaborative research and development flight project targeting rapid access to space to provide an alternative, low cost platform for a variety of scientific, research, and technology payloads. The initial spacecraft was designed to carry six instruments and launch as a secondary “rideshare” payload. This design approach greatly reduced overall mission costs while maximizing the on-board payload accommodations. FASTSAT was designed from the ground up to meet a challenging short schedule using modular components with a flexible, configurable layout to enable a broad range of payloads at a lower cost and shorter timeline than scaling down a more complex spacecraft. The integrated spacecraft along with its payloads were readied for launch 15 months from authority to proceed. As an ESPA-class spacecraft, FASTSAT is compatible with many different launch vehicles, including Minotaur I, Minotaur IV, Delta IV, Atlas V, Pegasus, Falcon 1/1e, and Falcon 9. These vehicles offer an array of options for launch sites and provide for a variety of rideshare possibilities. FASTSAT a Mini Satellite Mission …..A Way Ahead 15th Annual Space & Missile Defense Conference Session Track 1.2 : Operations for Small, Tactical Satellites Mark Boudreaux/NASA
    [Show full text]
  • Ground-Based Demonstration of Cubesat Robotic Assembly
    Ground-based Demonstration of CubeSat Robotic Assembly CubeSat Development Workshop 2020 Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Mary Dahl, Emily Kiley, Christian Haughwout, Kerri Cahoy 1 Motivation: In-Space Small Satellite Assembly Why not build in space? GEO MEO LEO The standardization of electromechanical CubeSat components for compatibility with CubeSat robotic assembly is a key gap 2 Goal: On-Demand On-Orbit Assembled CubeSats LEO Mission Key Phases ➢ Ground Phase: Functional electro/mechanical prototype ➢ ISS Phase: Development and launch of ISS flight unit locker, with CubeSat propulsion option ➢ Free-Flyer Phase: Development of agile free-flyer “locker” satellite with robotic arms to assemble and deploy rapid response CubeSats GEO ➢ Constellation Phase: Development of strategic constellation of agile free-flyer “locker” satellites with robotic Internal View of ‘Locker’ Showing Robotic Assembly arms to autonomously assemble and deploy CubeSats IR Sensors VIS Sensors RF Sensors Propulsion Mission Overview Mission Significance • Orbit-agnostic lockers deploy on-demand robot-assembled CubeSats Provides many CubeSat configurations responsive to • ‘Locker’ is mini-fridge-sized spacecraft with propulsion rapidly evolving space needs capability ✓ Flexible: Selectable sensors and propulsion • Holds robotic arms, sensor, and propulsion modules for ✓ Resilient: Dexterous robot arms for CubeSat assembly 1-3U CubeSats without humans-in-the-loop on Earth and on-orbit Build • Improve response: >30 days to ~hours custom-configured CubeSats on Earth or in space saving
    [Show full text]
  • Astrobiology in Low Earth Orbit
    The O/OREOS Mission – Astrobiology in Low Earth Orbit P. Ehrenfreund1, A.J. Ricco2, D. Squires2, C. Kitts3, E. Agasid2, N. Bramall2, K. Bryson4, J. Chittenden2, C. Conley5, A. Cook2, R. Mancinelli4, A. Mattioda2, W. Nicholson6, R. Quinn7, O. Santos2, G. Tahu5, M. Voytek5, C. Beasley2, L. Bica3, M. Diaz-Aguado2, C. Friedericks2, M. Henschke2, J.W. Hines2, D. Landis8, E. Luzzi2, D. Ly2, N. Mai2, G. Minelli2, M. McIntyre2, M. Neumann3, M. Parra2, M. Piccini2, R. Rasay3, R. Ricks2, A. Schooley2, E. Stackpole2, L. Timucin2, B. Yost2, A. Young3 1Space Policy Institute, Washington, DC, USA [email protected], 2NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA, 3Robotic Systems Laboratory, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA, 4Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Sonoma, CA, USA, 5NASA Headquarters, Washington DC, USA, 6University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA, 7SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, USA, 8Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, USA Abstract. The O/OREOS (Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) nanosatellite is the first science demonstration spacecraft and flight mission of the NASA Astrobiology Small- Payloads Program (ASP). O/OREOS was launched successfully on November 19, 2010, to a high-inclination (72°), 650-km Earth orbit aboard a US Air Force Minotaur IV rocket from Kodiak, Alaska. O/OREOS consists of 3 conjoined cubesat (each 1000 cm3) modules: (i) a control bus, (ii) the Space Environment Survivability of Living Organisms (SESLO) experiment, and (iii) the Space Environment Viability of Organics (SEVO) experiment. Among the innovative aspects of the O/OREOS mission are a real-time analysis of the photostability of organics and biomarkers and the collection of data on the survival and metabolic activity for micro-organisms at 3 times during the 6-month mission.
    [Show full text]
  • Highlights in Space 2010
    International Astronautical Federation Committee on Space Research International Institute of Space Law 94 bis, Avenue de Suffren c/o CNES 94 bis, Avenue de Suffren UNITED NATIONS 75015 Paris, France 2 place Maurice Quentin 75015 Paris, France Tel: +33 1 45 67 42 60 Fax: +33 1 42 73 21 20 Tel. + 33 1 44 76 75 10 E-mail: : [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Fax. + 33 1 44 76 74 37 URL: www.iislweb.com OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS URL: www.iafastro.com E-mail: [email protected] URL : http://cosparhq.cnes.fr Highlights in Space 2010 Prepared in cooperation with the International Astronautical Federation, the Committee on Space Research and the International Institute of Space Law The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and assisting developing countries in using space science and technology. United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs P. O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 26060-4950 Fax: (+43-1) 26060-5830 E-mail: [email protected] URL: www.unoosa.org United Nations publication Printed in Austria USD 15 Sales No. E.11.I.3 ISBN 978-92-1-101236-1 ST/SPACE/57 *1180239* V.11-80239—January 2011—775 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR OUTER SPACE AFFAIRS UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA Highlights in Space 2010 Prepared in cooperation with the International Astronautical Federation, the Committee on Space Research and the International Institute of Space Law Progress in space science, technology and applications, international cooperation and space law UNITED NATIONS New York, 2011 UniTEd NationS PUblication Sales no.
    [Show full text]
  • The O/OREOS Mission—Astrobiology in Low Earth Orbit
    Acta Astronautica 93 (2014) 501–508 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Acta Astronautica journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/actaastro The O/OREOS mission—Astrobiology in low Earth orbit P. Ehrenfreund a,n, A.J. Ricco b, D. Squires b, C. Kitts c, E. Agasid b, N. Bramall b, K. Bryson d, J. Chittenden b, C. Conley e, A. Cook b, R. Mancinelli d, A. Mattioda b, W. Nicholson f, R. Quinn g, O. Santos b,G.Tahue,M.Voyteke, C. Beasley b,L.Bicac, M. Diaz-Aguado b, C. Friedericks b,M.Henschkeb,D.Landish, E. Luzzi b,D.Lyb, N. Mai b, G. Minelli b,M.McIntyreb,M.Neumannc, M. Parra b, M. Piccini b, R. Rasay c,R.Ricksb, A. Schooley b, E. Stackpole b, L. Timucin b,B.Yostb, A. Young c a Space Policy Institute, Washington DC, USA b NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA c Robotic Systems Laboratory, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA d Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Sonoma, CA, USA e NASA Headquarters, Washington DC, USA f University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA g SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, USA h Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, USA article info abstract Article history: The O/OREOS (Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses) nanosatellite is the first Received 19 December 2011 science demonstration spacecraft and flight mission of the NASA Astrobiology Small- Received in revised form Payloads Program (ASP). O/OREOS was launched successfully on November 19, 2010, to 22 June 2012 a high-inclination (721), 650-km Earth orbit aboard a US Air Force Minotaur IV rocket Accepted 18 September 2012 from Kodiak, Alaska.
    [Show full text]