Advanced CubeSat Technologies for Affordable Deep Space Science and Exploration Missions Ground Tournaments, the Moon, and Beyond
Jim Cockrell Cube Quest Challenge Administrator iCubeSat - 30 May 2017 • What is Cube Quest? – Why a Cube Quest? – Rules and Prize Structure
• Today’s Status Get your CubeSat to the moon, work the best – GT4 Competitors survive the longest win big prizes! – Emerging Technologies • Next Steps – GT4 winners – In-space Competition
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 2 • SmallSats/CubeSats > conventional spacecraft – easier to launch – lower in cost • Unique missions with ensembles – planetary seismographs – array of Mars weather stations – distributed, correlated measurements – redundancy at the system level; robust system of systems – nodes for antenna arrays or telescope arrays – Augments traditional probes
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 3
To-date, CubeSats don’t venture beyond LEO:
Limitation SoA Deep Space Missions Need Limited comm range Low-gain dipoles or patches high gain directional antennas mainly used needed Limited comm data Low power, amateur band High-power, high frequency, wide rate transmitters mainly used bandwidth transmitters needed Lacking radiation COTS, low-cost parts used; more Radiation shielding, fault detection, tolerance benign environment of LEO fault tolerance Lacking in-space Not demonstrated (except solar High thrust, high ISP needed; propulsion sails); chemical fuel/pressurized chemical, electrical, solar containers prohibited Depend on Earth- Passive magnetorquers used; GPS Start trackers, moon/sun sensors, based nav references or magnetometers sense Earth’s radar altimeters and other sensors magnetic field needed for deep space
Can CubeSats Enable More Affordable Science and Exploration Missions in Deep Space? 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 4 Answer: the Cube Quest Challenge
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 5 In 1761, John In 1809, Nicolas Appert In 1901, Alberto In 1910, Georges Harrison (clock (baker) solved the Santos-Dumont Chavez (pilot) won the maker) solved the Napoleon challenge for (coffee plantation Milan Committee British maritime food preservation heir) won the French challenge being the first navigation challenge airship challenge to fly over the Alps
In 1977 & 1979, Paul In 2004, Burt Rutan In 1927, Charles MacCready (aerospace engineer) won In 2007, Peter Homer Lindbergh (mail pilot) (aeronautic engineer) the X-Prize Ansari (unemployed engineer) won the Orteig Prize won the Kremer challenge being the first won the NASA Astronaut being the first to fly Prizes for human- private entity to enter Glove challenge by making across the Atlantic powered flight space twice within two a better glove Ocean challenges weeks 30 May 2017 Cube Quest Challenge 6 • NASA STMD’s Centennial Challenges Program, initiated 2005, named for Wright Brothers’ Kitty Hawk flight • Prizes for non-government entities solving problems of interest to NASA and nation • Since 2005, there have been eight challenge categories, and more than Current Challenges:
20 challenge events • More than $6 million in prize money • 3-D Printed Habitat has been awarded to more than 17 • Space Robotics different teams • Vascular Tissue • Cube Quest
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 7 • NASA’s first non-crewed lunar flyby mission of Orion from SLS – Launch 2019 • Capacity for thirteen 6U-sized CubeSats • Secondary Payloads deploy after Orion departure into lunar flyby trajectory • 3 slots are reserved for top-3 qualified Cube Quest Challenge winners
30 May 2017 Cube Quest Challenge 8 • Astrophysics: – Distributed RF and Optical Arrays on affordable satellite constellation – Affordable, time-correlated (simultaneous) multi-point observations of NEOs (mass density, albedo, etc) • Planetary Explorations: – Distributed measurements (Ex: surface seismographic; Mars “weather systems”, multi-site impactors to detect lunar Impactor Concept subsurface volatiles, etc.) – Co-ordinated assets (Ex: landers paired with orbiting relays) • Heliophysics: – Global coverage – Multiple observations of transient events (Ex: radio Heliophysics, Multipoint Science occultation) – Geographically distributed time-correlated “space weather” measurements • Earth Science – Global coverage (multiple) – Time correlated weather, oceanic observations
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 9 Good Comm and Good Comm and G&NC Capability; Requires 2 G&NC Capability; Requires 2 Too Much Good Applicability sats Good Applicability sats Prop
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 10 • Achieve Lunar Orbit Requires: – Propulsion, high dV – Navigation without GPS or Earth’s magnetic field • Hi Data Rate, Large Data Volume, Far Comm Distance Requires: – High power transponder; high gain antenna; – Long & frequent ground station passes; – Deployable antennas; stable ACS; – Precise knowledge of Earth direction • Longevity (survival) Requires: – Rad hardening, redundancy, shielding – Autonomy 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 11 Ground Tournaments (GT) Lunar Derby Deep Space Derby While in lunar orbit While range ≥4M km
4 Rounds Qualify for 1 of 3 Farthest Distance Approx every 6 months Achieve Lunar Orbit$1.5M/shared, EM-1 launch $225k/25k $1M max per team slots GT-1 - top 5 win $20k Error-free Communication GT-2 - top 5 win $30k - or – Error-free Communication Burst Rate- $225k/25k GT-3 - top 5 win $30k get your own ride Burst Rate- $225k/25k Total Volume- $675k/75k GT-4 - top 5 win $20k Total Volume- $675k/75k
Total $500k Longevity Longevity $225k/25k Top 3 qualified GT-4 teams launch $450k/50k free on EM-1
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 12 SLS Safety and Interface Requirements • SLS Payload Safety Reviews (to fly on EM-1) • Or equivalent, for 3rd-party launches
Any allowable part of the spectrum • subject to FCC public freq. alloc. and licensing regs
Comm data eligible for prizes • May use NASA DSN – at your cost • DSN tracks all trajectories; checks lunar orbit, 4M km range • Comm data format per Rules, to qualify
Comply with Orbital Debris and Planetary Protection laws and regs
http://www.nasa.gov/cubequest/reference 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 13 5 Judge Panel • NASA • Non-NASA leaders • Industry • Academic • DoD
Top 5 Teams Scoring > 3.0/5.0
40% Likelihood of Mission Success Total GT Score Team of 60% • Rules technical SMEs Compliance with Rules, • GT Workbook SLS IDRD, • SLS IDRD SLS Saftey • SLS Safety Rqts (or equiv. launch provider rqts) Rqts 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 14 GT1 – 13 Teams GT2 – 10 Teams GT3 – 7 Teams GT4 – 5 Teams EM-1 – 3 Slots
• Alpha Cubesat - Xtraordinary • Alpha CubeQuest, XISP Inc • Team Miles Fluid & Reason • Team Miles Fluid & Reason Innovative Space Partnerships, (Cabin John, MD) (Tampa, FL) (Tampa, FL) Inc • CisLunar Explorers, Cornell • Cislunar Explorers - Cornell • Cislunar Explorers - Cornell (Cabin John, MD) University University University • Cislunar Explorers - Cornell (Ithaca, NY) (Ithaca, NY) (Ithaca, NY) University (Ithaca, NY) • Eagles-Quest, Embry-Riddle • CU-E3- University of • CU-E3- University of • HuskySat - University of Aeronautical University Colorado, Boulder Colorado, Boulder Washington (Daytona Beach, FL) (Boulder, CO) (Boulder, CO) (Seattle, WA) • Earth Escape Explorer (CU- • KitCube - Massachusetts • SEDS Triteia - University of • Lunar CubeQuestador - E3), University of Colorado, Institute of Technology, California, San Diego June 8 Missouri University of Science Boulder (Cambridge, MA) (San Diego, CA) Winners and Technology (Boulder, CO) • SEDS Triteia - University of • Heimdallr, Ragnarok (Rolla, MO) • Goddard Orbital and California, San Diego Industries Inc. Announcement • MIT KitCube - Massachusetts Atmospheric Testing (San Diego, CA) (Wilmington, DE) Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) Satellite (GOATS), Worcester • Heimdallr, Ragnarok • Novel Engineering - Novel Polytechnic Institute Industries Inc. Engineering Inc. (Worcester, MA) (Wilmington, DE) (Cocoa Beach, FL) • Lunar CubeQuestador, • Goddard Orbital and • OpenOrbiter Lunar I - Missouri University of Atmospheric Testing University of North Dakota Science & Technology Satellite (GOATS), Worcester (Grand Forks, ND) (Rolla, MO) Polytechnic Institute • ERAU Eagles - Embry-Riddle • MIT KitCube, (Worcester, MA) Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL) Massachusetts Institute of • Project Selene - Flintridge Technology Preparatory School (Cambridge, MA) (La Cañada Flintridge, CA) • Heimdallr, Ragnarok • Heimdallr- Ragnarok Industries Inc. Industries, Inc. (Wilmington, DE) (Wilmington, DE) • SEDS Triteia, SEDS • SEDS - University of California - University of San Diego San Diego (San Diego, CA) (San Diego, CA) • Team Miles, Fluid & Reason • Team Miles - Fluid & Reason LLC LLC (Tampa, FL) (Tampa, FL) • True Vision Robotics - Isakson Engineering CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 15 (Atacsadero, CA) 30 May 2017 Industry Academia
Cislunar Explorers Cornell University Heimdallr Ragnarok Industries, Inc SEDS Triteia University of California- San Diego Team Miles Fluid & Reason LLC CU-E3 University of Colorado – Boulder
Lunar Derby Deep Space Derby
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 16 Cornell University – Ithaca, NY • Behind the name: From Latin, Cislunar translates to “on this side of the moon.” We are building spacecraft that will explore this region. • Team origin: All team members are part of Cornell University’s Space Systems Design Studio. SSDS has constructed multiple micro- and nanosatellite scale spacecraft in the past, with the goal of developing new technologies to improve the reach and capabilities of same. The team entered the Cube Quest competition to continue this tradition. All of us are looking forward to applying novel spacecraft technologies to a new and challenging CubeSat mission. If we win: Prize money would flow back to the Space Systems Design Studio, to fund current and future projects at the laboratory. • Extra credit: Part our spacecraft testing suite is a “frankenphonograph,” a record player modified to spin a mockup of a Cislunar Explorer at arbitrary angular velocities and orientations. – Lunar Derby • Dual, fractionated spacecraft • Water-electrolysis propulsion • In-house GNC; quaternions from sun/moon/earth images
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 17 University of Colorado, Boulder • Team members: 20 • Behind the name: CU-E3’s mission objective is to foster innovative CubeSat communication technologies. Our CubeSat will be attempting to communicate beyond Earth orbit at more than 10 times the distance to the Moon. This will require us to “escape” the sphere of influence of the “Earth” and “explore” deep space, thus we arrived at the name Earth Escape Explorer. • Team origin: The CU-E3 project is currently offered as a graduate student course at the University of Colorado. The course is offered to allow students to obtain hands-on experience in the field of astronautics. • If we win: We plan to develop a perpetual endowment to be used to for funding future University of Colorado SmallSat students and missions. • Extra credit: CU-E3 comprises members with a unique and diverse background ranging from all fields of engineering, professional experience, and even military satellite operations. This project gives students the opportunity to utilize these skills in a professional environment while also presenting them with the opportunity to learn new skills to use in their work outside of the classroom.
– Deep Space Derby • Reflect-array antenna • X-band transmitter • Solar radiation pressure for reaction wheel desaturation
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 18 Ragnorak Industries • From: Wilmington, Delaware • Team members: 15 • Behind the name: Having met as Engineering PhD Interns at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in summer 2014 while working on the 6U CubeSat Dellingr, we continued a similar Norse Mythology naming tradition and incorporated as Ragnarok Industries. "Ragnarok" seemed best suited to represent a sweeping change of the old world with a new world, particularly, a new CubeSat generation not only for lunar, but beyond-Earth missions as well. • Team origin: A few of us met as summer interns at Goddard. Through networking, Ragnarok’s internal core group size soon grew and partnerships formed with Emergent Space Technologies and AMSAT. • Strategy: We strongly feel that the key is to approach this challenge with a strong systems engineering framework and appropriate tailoring strategy for CubeSat missions. Not only does Ragnarok seek to use components of high Technology Readiness Level, but also with significant flight heritage. In a similar line of thought, Ragnarok is grateful for its partnerships and their extensive reputation supporting spacecraft. • If we win: We plan to share the prize money with our partners, break even, and reinvest in commercialization of our technologies for future missions. • Extra credit: The competing teams are pioneering the future of high-speed communications and propulsion aboard CubeSats. There is no greater satisfaction than being a part of such a movement. • Ragnarok partnered with Emergent Space Technologies to offer mentors and materials aspiring young satellite developers at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia.
– Lunar Derby • Autonomous operation at moon • In-house rad-hardened C&DH subsystem • In-house star tracker, ADCS • Gimbaled solar panels • After competition, will park in L1 point for endurance test
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 19 University of California, San Diego • Team members: 25 • Behind the name: SEDS stands for the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. It's a national organization, and we are the UC San Diego chapter. • Strategy: Our CubeSat features a additively manufactured hydrogen thruster for peroxide propulsion system that will give it the ability to perform high thrust maneuvers. Our CubeSat utilizes some COTS components with high reliability including a high-performance processor with rad hardened/fault tolerant architecture that enables high-level SW development. If we win: Establish additional research and development infrastructure at UC San Diego for astronautics. • Extra credit: The concept for Triteia was established in a Library Study room. – Lunar Derby • “Callan” additively manufactured thruster • Hydrogen peroxide fuel • In-house solar panels
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 20 Miles Space and Fluid & Reason, LLC, Tampa, Florida • Team members: 16 • Behind the name: Our team name was inspired by the poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. The closing refrain is “And miles to go before I sleep.” Miles to go means that this little box, which is no bigger than two loaves of bread strapped together with some aluminum, has a long way to go. • Team origin: A few of our members have worked together on previous space- related contests. Some of our other members came on board through our local Hackerspace. Strategy: Our team is approaching this challenge one cube at a time. We're going for deep space communications, using propulsion as an advantage to get further sooner. • If we win: We plan on pursuing the opportunity to build more Cubesats and the like to help further the goal of space for everyone. • Extra credit: We've already been lucky enough to have been wished success by Andy Weir (the author of 'The Martian') as did Chris Lewicki from Planetary Resources. – Deep Space Derby • In-house “ConstantQ” plasma thruster • Autonomous operation • Software Defined Radio
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 21 • Comm • Propulsion – UHF, S-, X-, C- band – EP (Iodine) – Mainly patch antennas – 3D printed thrusters – from moon and – Electrolysis of water for fuel beyond • Other Technologies – Deployable antennas – Rad hardened CPU, memory, • Ground Stations error checking and redundancy DSN – – Blue Canyon GNC / ADCS – WFF UHF – Custom design: – AMSAT X- and S-band • Sun sensors – ATLAS • Star trackers – Univ dishes • Reaction wheel • Imagers / quaternions 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 22 • Communication Technologies – RF Bands Utilized • S-Band – Commonly used, but cutting-edge for CubeSats – Teams plan S-band for radio comm and trajectory determination (DSN) • X-Band – DSN primarily uses X-band, but CubeSats haven’t the power to use before – Teams plan X-band to commercial gnd stns or DSN • C-Band – Has some use in general sat comms; 5cm band is amateur band – Team plans AMSAT in C-band • UHF – Often used in CubeSats in amateur bands, to lots of amateur gnd stns – Team plans UHF for long distance using WFF 18m dish – Antenna Design • Patch Antennas – Commonly used on CubeSats due to small size and low cost; but lacking in gain • Deployables – 1 team plans to use a reflectarray on reverse side of solar panel, fed by deployable feed horn 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 23 • Propulsion – COTS • ConstantQ plasma thruster (Iodine) • ExoTerra Resources Hall Effect • Cold gas, for attitude control – Custom In-House • 3D printed cold gas for attitude control • Electrolysis of water for H2 and O2, for 3D printed titanium thruster fuel and oxidizer • Hydrogen peroxide monopropellent for 3D printed Inconel 716 • Other Tech – Rad-hard components • deep space radiation, longer mission lifetimes intensify effect. Lunar orbit provides a proving ground for radiation-based experiments or technology demonstrations. • 1 team plans Resilient Affordable CubeSat Processor (RACP), a microcontroller and 3 ARM 15 SoC uPs., with a health monitoring and management system to check processors and subsystems – Navigation Systems • No GPS or magnetic field in cis-lunar space • Blue Canyon Technologies XACT star tracker, sun sensor and reaction wheels. • GEO-hard Miniature Integrated Star Tracker (MIST) from Space Micro, • In-house ADCS, with in-house reaction wheels, in-house star tracker and sun sensors • Navigate using Raspberry Pi camera to image Earth, Sun and Moon,and gyro using transformation matrix to spacecraft body from and inertial frame. 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 24 • Winners of final Ground Tournament GT-4 Soon to be Announced!
• SmallSat: Deep Space Symposium – At NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California – Co-Produced by SSTP, SSSVI, and Centennial Challenges – Invited speakers include: • Leaders from NASA SMD, HEOMD, STMD • SSSVI and SSTP Program Managers • Cube Quest Teams – https://smallsats-deepspace.eventbrite.com • Prize award and EM-1 selection 8 June 30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 25 • Teams complete AI&T in 2017-18 • Teams hiring Non-NASA launch • EM-1 Payload delivery April 2018 start at any time • EM-1 Launch ~ 2019 • Competition ends L + 365d Today 2019
May the Best CubeSat win!
30 May 2017 CubeQuest Challenge - iCubeSat 26 Advanced CubeSat Technologies for Affordable Deep Space Science and Exploration Missions
Questions? • 1707 British Naval accident off Isle of Scilly, 1,400 sailors died. On time, accurate arrival at ports of call hampered by inability to measure longitude • The 1714 Longitude Act called for a portable, practical solution to the problem • Amateur clock maker John Harrison’s marine chronometer was the most successful submission to the Longitude Committee, eventually securing prize of £20,000 (Today's value £2,080,000) • Captain Cook took a version of Harrison’s device on his second, three year voyage, returning to prove that Harrison’s innovative design had finally conquered one of the perils of the high seas. • This was a successful public prize challenge!
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