ELSA-d Launch Press Kit 2021 ELSA-d Launch Press Kit 2021
Contents
Introducing ELSA-d...... 3
ELSA-d Key Features...... 5
Docking Plate...... 5
Mission Overview...... 6
Mission ConOps...... 7
Mission Statistics...... 10
In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre...... 10
Launch...... 11
About Astroscale...... 12
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Introducing ELSA-d
Creating a sustainable space environment
Every day billions of people around the world rely improve quality of life on Earth. They will also lead on data from satellites to go about their lives. We to an increase in the number of objects in key exchange messages, talk to family and friends, check orbits, raising the risk of further debris creation the weather and manage finances. Satellites are and threatening the very services space systems also used to manage and mitigate natural disasters, provide. The European Space Agency estimates the monitor the Earth’s climate and provide national 3,600 working satellites share their orbits with 9,200 security information. In short, without satellite data, tonnes of space debris, or an estimated 28,200 the lives of people around the world would be very debris objects tracked by the Space Surveillance different. And now the source of this data is at Network. With over 10,000 satellites scheduled growing risk of being destroyed by space debris. to launch in LEO over the next 10 years, we need pro-active strategies for post-mission debris disposal The rise of large commercial satellite constellations to maintain the safe use of LEO orbits for the benefit in low Earth orbit (LEO) will provide services that of humankind.
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Introducing ELSA-d
Electromagnetic compatibility testing in February 2020 Vibration testing at JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center in February 2020
The End-of-Life Services by Astroscale (ELSA) replica debris fitted with a ferromagnetic plate program is a spacecraft retrieval service for satellite that enables the docking. The servicer will operators. ELSA-d (demonstration) is the first repeatedly release and dock with the client in mission to demonstrate the core technologies a series of technical demonstrations, proving the necessary for debris docking and removal. capability to find and dock with defunct satellites and other debris. Demonstrations include client ELSA-d consists of two spacecraft: a servicer search, client inspection, client rendezvous, and satellite (~175kg) and a client satellite (~17kg), both non-tumbling and tumbling docking. launched stacked together. The servicer satellite ELSA-d will be operated by Astroscale’s Mission has been developed to safely remove debris Operations and Ground Segment teams from the objects from orbit, equipped with proximity In-orbit Servicing Control Centre – National rendezvous technologies and a magnetic docking Facility at Satellite Applications Catapult, Harwell mechanism. The client satellite is a piece of Campus, UK.
Prelaunch checks at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in February 2021
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ELSA-d Key Features
l End-to-end rendezvous solution including far-range and short-range approaches
l Client search and approach from far- range with relative navigation sensors
l Fly-around inspections of client with operator assessment
l Docking plate to future proof satellites to enable their removal if they fail in future
l At-night magnetic capture of non-tumbling and tumbling clients
l Re-orbit, de-orbit and passivation capabilities
l Safety evacuations and passively safe trajectories in mission design
l Full ground segment, custom- designed for on-orbit servicing
Docking Plate
he docking plate (DP) is a core part of ELSA-d’s Trendezvous suite, providing a point of contact on the client for a magnetic capture system and an optically controlled surface for Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC).
The ELSA-d grappling interface is designed to be mounted on a client satellite and consists of the flat, disc-shaped DP on top of a supporting stand-off structure. It provides distinctive features that make a defunct satellite easier to identify, assess, approach, capture and de-orbit, thus minimizing future costs of removal. Specific characteristics of the DP on ELSA-d include optical markers for guidance and navigation in proximity operations, and ferromagnetic material suitable for magnetic grappling.
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Mission Overview
he ELSA-d mission will demonstrate several capabilities and technologies needed for future on-orbit Tservices. While the ELSA-d mission will prove technologies that can be directly applied to customers, there are some slight differences to a future servicing mission.
For the ELSA-d mission, the client is The mission ConOps is divided into seven phases. commandable, ensuring demonstrations can The phases are designed to generally increase in be tested in a simplified manner earlier in the complexity, ensuring less risky demonstrations are mission. For example, before tumbling capture attempted first. is attempted, the easier case of non-tumbling capture will be attempted, which requires the Phase 1 LEOP client to hold a set orientation. The Concept of
Operations (ConOps) is designed to gradually Phase 2 Commissioning increase the complexity and risk with each phase and can be adjusted because the servicer is Phase 3 Capture without tumbling launched together with the client.
Phase 4 Capture with tumbling This compares to a full commercial service where the significant task of finding the client would be Phase 5 Diagnosis and Client Search among the first mission actions. In addition to an advanced magnetic rendezvous and docking Phase 6 Re-orbit suite capture system, the spacecraft will include other elements of a classical satellite bus: power, Phase 7 Closeout propulsion, communications and processing.
See ELSA-d’s ConOps in action
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Mission ConOps
Servicer Client
Initial orbit (~550km) Separation Release Release Initial descent maneuver
Navigation tech TMA maneuver & Diagnosis Natural check-out dance rehearsal demo decay Inter-demo C&R Inter-demo C&R Passivation and de-orbit
Capture w/o Capture Client search tumbling w tumbling demo Capture w/o tumbling
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 Phase 7 LEOP Commissioning Capture w/o Capture Diagnosis & Re-orbit Closeout Tumbling w Tumbling Client Search
Phase 1 to 2: Launch and Early Orbit Phase and Commissioning The servicer and client are launched together into 3 an operational orbit of roughly 550km. The servicer undergoes commissioning, testing interfaces with the ground segment and ensuring subsystems are calibrated, resulting in a system ready to start the demonstrations. The client is activated using the client activation unit and undergoes the majority of its commissioning prior to separation.
Phase 3: Capture without tumbling
A client separation mechanism holds the client and servicer together during launch, and Phase 3 is the first time the client separates. Once separated, the magnetic capture system is used to repeatedly capture and release the client, so the separation mechanism is no longer in use. The servicer has the ability to position itself at set distances behind the client, which are defined as specific holding points. The servicer performs a navigation check- out and calibration using its rendezvous sensors. Phase 3 – Capture without tumbling
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Mission ConOps (continued)
4 Phase 4 – Capture with tumbling
This is the first time these sensors can be tested in Phase 5: space since they can’t be tested while the client is Diagnosis and client search docked. Finally, the client is commanded to hold a set orientation and the servicer goes in for capture, In the diagnosis, the client separates from the using the docking plate on the client for guidance. servicer, and the servicer performs a fly-around in daylight to inspect the client. Client inspection is a Phase 4: key capability for future missions, where operators Capture with tumbling will have to analyze a client and make a go/no-go decision on capture. This phase is a more dynamically complex version of Phase 3, where full tumbling capture is performed. The phase also includes a rehearsal to attempt the demonstration before finally going for the final capture. In the demonstration, the client is commanded to follow a natural tumbling motion, 5 typical of uncontrolled objects in space, such as debris. Part of the capture involves taking images of the tumbling client. The image data is processed on the ground and commands are uploaded to tell the servicer where to maneuver. The Flight Dynamics System (FDS) aligns the servicer and client before capture. This “dance” is the necessary motion and alignment needed during the tumbling capture. Phase 5 – Diagnosis and client search
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Mission ConOps (continued)
In the client search demonstration, an initial client search and approach is simulated. The Phase 6 to 7: servicer separates and thrusts away from the Re-orbit and closeout client back to a recovery point. The servicer moves into a safety ellipse, simulating first In the final phase, the servicer performs a approach to an unprepared client as in a full re-orbit maneuver to reduce the client altitude. service mission. In a full mission, a combination This simulates the final de-orbit in a full mission. of space situational awareness (SSA) data, At a lower altitude, after natural decay, the craft including GPS and ground tracking, is used is passivated, meaning its remaining propellant to calculate a trajectory to insert the servicer is expelled and its batteries are drained. Both the onto a rendezvous trajectory with the client. servicer and client will then de-orbit and burn up A “client lost scenario” is demonstrated by on atmospheric re-entry. The mission at all times making the sensors lose the client at long maintains 25-year debris mitigation compliance, range. The servicer then uses its sensors as the initial demonstration is at an altitude of to re-acquire the client and makes the final only 550km. approach to recapture. 7
Phase 7 – Re-orbit and closeout
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Mission Statistics
Entity Property Value Servicer Size Approx. 660 x 640 x 1100mm (with no solar array deployed) Mass ~175kg GNC (command) GNC OBC, GNC sensor handling unit GNC (sensing) Star trackers, Gyro sensors, Magnetometers, Sun-sensors, Accelerometers, GPS receiver GNC (actuation) Reaction wheels, Magneto-torquers GNC (RDV) Navigation cameras, Visible-range cameras, Blue lighting device, Laser range finder, Low power radio Capture Magnetic capture system Comms S-band (Uplink, Downlink), X-band (Downlink) Power Deployable double solar array, Power distribution module, Battery control module, Second converter batteries Propulsion Green propellant chemical propulsion system C&DH Data handling unit (BUS OBCs, TCMs), Spacewire router Other Retro-reflector, Client separation mechanism & activation unit Client Size Approx. 480 x 500 x 225mm Bus ~17kg satellite with OBC, EPS, S-band COM, AOCS Docking plate Docking Plate mounted on client Other Retro-reflector, Visual camera, Illuminator (LEDs)
In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre – National Facility
n 2018, Astroscale UK was named Prime This state-of-the-art facility will form the basis IContractor of a £4 million grant from UK Research for operating missions to clean up space debris Innovation (UKRI) to build an In-Orbit Servicing and conduct other on-orbit servicing operations, Control Centre – National Facility at the Satellite providing Astroscale with a world-leading Applications Catapult in Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK. operational capability.
Astroscale is in the process of testing the identifying, tracking, rendezvous, docking and de- operational procedures of the ELSA-d mission, orbit of a client. ELSA-d will be the first mission to which will be operated from Harwell and will include use the facility.
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Launch
Vehicle: Soyuz-2 Soyuz-2 Cluster Mission: CAS500-1 Orbit: SSO 497.8 km, LTAN 11.00 Space Port: Baikonur, Kazakhstan
Date & Times: Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday, March 20, 2021 at: 09:07 Moscow (MSK) 02:07 Washington, D.C. (EDT) 00:07 Denver (MDT) 15:07 Tokyo (JST) Watch the launch live stream: 06:07 London (GMT) https://youtu.be/lN5yQuDBGaw
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About Astroscale
stroscale is the first private company with Aa vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company solely dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits.
Founded in 2013, Astroscale is developing innovative and scalable solutions across the Stay Connected spectrum of on-orbit servicing missions, including Global Communications & Marketing: life extension, in situ space situational awareness, [email protected] end-of-life services, and active debris removal, to create sustainable space systems and mitigate Japan: the growing and hazardous buildup of debris in Hide Kuraishi space. Astroscale is also defining business cases Tel: +81-3-6658-8175 and working with government and commercial stakeholders to develop norms, regulations, and UK and Europe: incentives for the responsible use of space. Andrea Stewart Tel: +44 (0) 7528 132 489 Headquartered in Japan, Astroscale has an Email: [email protected] international presence with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, and U.S. & Israel: Singapore. Astroscale is a rapidly expanding Dave Hebert or Krystal Scordo venture company, working to advance safe and Tel: +1-202-744-8127 sustainable growth in space and solve a growing environmental concern. #GoELSAd
Singapore Astroscale Singapore Pte. Ltd. 2013
Tokyo, Japan Astroscale Holdings Inc. Astroscale Japan Inc. 2015
Harwell, United Kingdom Astroscale Ltd 2017
Denver and Washington D.C., USA Astroscale U.S. Inc. 2019
Tel Aviv, Israel Astroscale Israel Ltd. 2020
astroscale_HQ Astroscale Astroscale astroscale Astroscale
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