The FAST, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) Mission

27th Year of AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, Small Satellite Constellations: Strength in Numbers, Session X: Year in Review

Authors Mark Boudreaux/NASA MSFC Steve Pearson/NASA MSFC Joseph Casas/NASA MSFC

August 15, 20131 FASTSAT Mission Introduction • Motivation: The DoD Space Test Program (STP) received notification of withdrawal of a previously manifested payload on a mission, only 14 months before launch of the S26 mission (Fall 2008).

• Call to Action: The STP and the NASA MSFC rapidly formed a partnership to target the time critical opportunity. Inter-Agency alignment of shared vision, goals and assets of the partnership where the technical, schedule and budgetary aspects were higher risk by traditional standards. This partnership afforded a highly synergistic inter-governmental solution which satisfied the SERB priority ranking for six S&T payloads and near term spacecraft launch schedule requirements with a complementary spacecraft & payloads.

• Solution for STP S-26: A rapid deployment, responsive science and technology mission leveraging NASA MSFC’s Fast Affordable Science and Technology Satellite ESPA spacecraft concept. A low complexity-low cost mission approach coupled with an innovative multi-organizational collaborative partnership, resulting in the design, development and flight certification of multiple flight assets for launch in only 13 months.

Mission Approach

• Development a Spacecraft which offers low cost access to space with:

– Simplified Payload Integration and Accommodations for up to six science and technology payloads – Access to Rideshare Accommodations and Resources – EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) Standard Services – On-Orbit Operations Utility – CubeSat Deployment – Mitigation of 25 year Orbital Life Requirement – Resource margin within ESPA envelop to enhance bus capabilities and invest in S&T payload resource requirements – A low cost pathfinder integrated mission solution for $ < 15M

Designed for Low Cost Rapid Access to Space

3 A Collaborative Partnership is Forged

• DoD funding of the launch, • Industry funding for NASA resources payload integration and mission provided via a “not for profit” operations (STP) organization (VCSI and Dynetics, Inc)

• DoD payload development • Spacecraft manufacturing, technical, and manifesting via the SERB integration and logistical support

Other Industry Federal

Share Vision, Goals • NASA MSFC Space Systems resources* and Assets provided for certification, design, development, test and mission operation, for payloads and spacecraft via reimbursable agreement NASA • Executed via Inter-Agency and industry to government • NASA Payload development via resident collaborative center IRAD investment funds • MOU, MOA, FOA and * Project leadership via technical skills, design, test facilities Cooperative Agreements and process implementation of a Class D mini satellite collaborative research mission

Partnering Organizations

5 FASTSAT Spacecraft Requirements and Design . 12-month LEO mission . Class D ESPA class spacecraft . 6 payloads sensor instrument capacity . NanoSat (CubeSat) Payload Deployer (P-POD) Ejection . Spacecraft mass: ~150 kg . Size 24” x 28” x 38” (ESPA) . Payload mass: 21 kg . Payload power: 30 W average . S-Band downlink 1 Mbps . S-Band uplink 50 Kbps . Stabilization: single axis (magnetic torque rods) . Pointing accuracy: 20°/3-axis; 10°/single axis . Pointing knowledge: 0.1°

FASTSAT was designed, developed, integrated, tested and certified for flight in 15 months using an innovative business model, tailored processes, co-located and experienced team. 6 Six Instruments on One Platform

NASA and USNA Miniature Imager for NASA and USNA Thermospheric Temperature Neutral Ionospheric Atoms and Imager (TTI) Magnetospheric Electrons (MINI-ME) • Increase accuracy of orbital predictions for low- • Improve space weather forecasting for Earth orbiting assets operational use

AFRL Light Detection System (LDS) NASA & USNA Plasma Impedance Spectrum • Evaluate atmospheric propagating Analyzer (PISA) characteristics on coherent light generated • Permit better predictive models of space from known ground stations weather effects on communications and GPS signals

NASA + ARMY SMDC + AFRL + VCSI Nano Sail Demonstration (NSD) AFRL + NASA + AF Miniature Star Tracker (MST) • Demonstrate deployment of a compact • Demonstrate small and low-power star tracker 10-m2 ejected as a CubeSat

FASTSAT on STP S-26

Project ATP – initiated on January 9, 2009 Ready for shipment to launch site on May 1, 2010 Launch Date – November 19, 2010 Orbit – 650 km circular Inclination – 72 degrees Location - Kodiak, Alaska 8 FASTSAT Mission Accomplishments Launch Nov 19, 2010 at 7:25 PM CST Spacecraft Powered Up 52 minutes Later (nominal) Sustained Ground Contact within12 Hours (nominal) Completed all level I S&T payload data gathering for SERB payloads by April 30, 2011 (nominal) 30 months of Spacecraft to ground contacts (extended) Mission Operation Center at NASA MSFC Reliable Commanding and Telemetry Established Portal and Remote Telemetry to PI’s Established Science Operations (Continued through May 2013) Aliveness Tests Successful for PISA, TTI, MINI ME, LDS, & Miniature Star Tracker NSD Ejected and mechanism deployed with planned re-entry PISA achieved full science level I requirements MINI-ME achieved full science level I requirements TTI achieved full science level I requirements Miniature Star Tracker successfully acquired star fields images, quaternion(s) generated Additional data gathering for PISA, TTI, MINI-ME and LDS for acquisition of reach goals (Science Continues)

FASTSAT project accomplished the SERB payload mission goals and payload technology readiness levels are now > TRL 8 9 ESPA Class Small Satellite Accomplishments

Space operations and control of 6 Space Experiment Review Board (SERB) experiments on one spacecraft

NASA’s first ejection of a 3U CubeSat (NSD) from a free-flying ESPA class mini satellite “mother-ship” spacecraft

10 Nano Sail Demonstration (NanoSail-D)

Ejected from FASTSAT: 17 Jan. 2011 First CubeSat launched on-orbit from EPSA-class satellite Sail membrane deployment: 20 Jan. 2011 Demonstrated ability to deploy highly compacted thin film membrane with application for solar sail/boom system De-orbited (re-entry) in September 2011 Lowered altitude 130 km in 215 days Validate passive (non-propulsive) de-orbit technology TRL raised to 9 NanoSail-D 3U CubeSat Compact deployable de-orbit systems for future satellites Pre-encapsulation Deployable booms for thin film solar arrays

Ground Deployment Test of NanoSail-D In-orbit Image Captured 130-km Mean Altitude Drop(day 215) 10-m2 Solar Sail Clay Center Observatory 11 FASTSAT Mission By The Numbers • Spacecraft Status (as of May 20, 2013) – Launch Nov 19 at 7:25 PM CST – 913 days mission elapsed time – > 13,465 orbits at ~650 km – Spacecraft subsystem hardware checkout accomplished by day 7 – COMM, ADCS, C&DH, Power and attitude control modes functional – Decommissioned on May 20, 2013 • Spacecraft Operations – Command & telemetry nominal for all NEN ground stations – Down linked 223-M packets for over 17 GB – Uplinked 450,000+ commands – 9 spacecraft software updates, 5 instrument software updates • Payload Operations – Payload hardware checkout completed on mission day 10 – Ejected NSD CubeSat day 59, deployed Sail on day 62. The first ESPA and NASA mini satellite spacecraft to eject a CubeSat – All six SERB experiment operations successfully implemented within first 5 months of launch. – MINI-ME, PISA, TTI, MST, and LDS = >8.4 GB of data downlinked

FASTSAT-HSV01 completed > 30 months of flight operations, tripling the pre-mission requirements and further demonstrating capabilities of an affordable ESPA class mini satellite S&T mission. 12 Conclusions Key Mission Enablers

• Highly motivated, competent, committed and innovative “outside the box” thinking team with integrity and “can do spirit” • Leveraging of existing processes for rapid deployment of procurement, contracts and purchasing elements • Leveraging of existing capitol investments and “buying by the yard” to efficiently control costs • “Test as you fly” philosophy and implementation approach • Infusion of independent subject matter experts technical review at Key Decision Points and milestones

13 Conclusions “Small Satellites” Doing More With Less

Small Satellites: A Broad Range of Responsive SR&T Missions

Class C-D Spacecraft On-Orbit Multi-CubeSat Deployment Secondary “Rideshare” SV Earth and Atmospheric Observation Low to Mid Complexity Payloads Space Weather Space Tests and Experiments Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Technology Demonstrations Demonstrated Military Utility Rapid Response Gap Filler Inexpensive way to test new technologies Augmenting Large Systems Perform experiments and risk-reduction for operational systems

14 References

• Casas, Joseph C., “ FASTSAT-HSV01 Synergistic Observations of the Magnetospheric Response During Active Periods: MINI-ME, PISA, AND TTI, COSPAR 2010 Poster paper • McGowan, John F., “Cheap access to space: lessons from past breakthroughs”, The Space Review, May 2009 • Boudreaux, Mark E., “A Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT) and the Small Satellite Market Development Environment”, ISTS 2008 • Rowland, Douglas E., “ Science of Opportunity: Heliophyics on the FASTSAT Mission and S26”, IEEE Aerospace Conference, Invited paper, March 2011 • Graves, Mike, “FASTSAT – Mission Results from the Space Test Program S26 Mission”, S. Cook, J. Casas, M. Boudreaux, IEEE Conference, 62nd International Astronautical Congress, Small Space Science Missions • Boudreaux, Mark E., “FASTSAT- A Way Ahead”, 15th Annual Space & Missile Defense Conference Session Track 1.2 : Operations for Small, Tactical Satellites, S. Pearson, J. Casas, Invited Paper, August 2012