We thank our partners and customers for their support. Postcards from Space APRIL 2021 QinetiQ Hogenakkerhoekstraat 9 9150 Kruibeke – Belgium [email protected] www.QinetiQ.com/space/postcardsfromspace Postcards from Space 2 Contents Welcome 4 1. Information Advantage in Space 5 A Proven Record for Delivering Data 7 2. Position Navigation and Timing 9 The Importance of Secure Communications 11 3. Small Satellites and their operation 13 Next Generation of Small Sats 15 Characterising Exoplanets 17 Planetary Defence 19 Remembering the Launch of PROBA-V 21 Ion Thrusters 23 Looking Back to Fly Forward 25 Continual Evolution for our ADPMS 3rd Generation 27 4. Life Support Systems and Scientific Instruments 29 SODI 31 Life Support Technology to Support Long-distance Space Travel 33 Human Centrifuge Receives an Upgrade 35 ICAPS Experiment is Great Success! 37 Taking Heat Transfer Research to a New Level 39 The Dark Side 41 The Alloys Age 43 Artemiss 45 Our Heritage 47 Biorat 1 - BioHarvest - GreenLung 49 The Final Frontier 51 5. Robotics 53 Breaking Convention to Set a New Standard 55 6. Training, Testing & Evaluation 57 Breaking into Space 59 Space Ranging 61 An Out of this World Phone Call 63 Postcards from Space 2 Welcome Jim Graham Managing Director, QinetiQ’s space business Over the past few years, colleagues from across QinetiQ’s space business have produced a series of blogs describing our ever-increasing range of space programmes. The popularity of our ‘Postcards from Space’ blogs has prompted us to publish the full collection in a special compendium for the first time. This new publication provides a glimpse of the specialist skills and breadth of expertise that has underpinned our success in the space sector over the past six decades. It also gives an indication of the passion and great sense of personal pride that shines brightly in every corner of the business as we rise to new challenges that are truly at the cutting edge of space technologies, research and exploration. A common thread through all of the ‘Postcards’ is how much can be achieved through effective partnership and collaboration. Whether it’s extending the capabilities and possibilities of human space exploration, improving the performance and potential of satellite technology or the development of increasingly sophisticated systems integration and space experimentation, QinetiQ is proving it really is a trusted partner for mission-led innovation and operational capability that delivers mission success for our customers, time and time again. Indeed, we are committed to mission-led innovation; our specialist teams work closely with a growing list of like-minded partners, aiming to deliver the best possible operational outcomes for customers. The postcards from space provide some highlights that are close to our hearts; they also help to explain why everyone here at QinetiQ is looking to the future with a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement as we continue to combine our passion for space with engineering expertise and innovation. Postcards from Space 4 1. INFORMATION ADVANTAGE IN SPACE Capitalising on the Data Revolution Not since the space race in the last century has the space This is where we see a significant challenge. How do we there is not an end game to be won – but a continuous, ever sensors – how it is collected, processed, fused, stored, domain experienced such an exciting and dramatic change. convert this deluge of data from multiple satellite and faster cycle of exploiting data effectively and supporting organised, assured, trusted, analysed and visualised are As late as the 1990s, space launches were considered a sensor providers into something useable? The question of decision-making. In order to deal with the data and to move all likely to see major developments. Our interaction with national event, but with the advent of technological innovation, handing the ‘volume, velocity, variety and ubiquity’ of data quickly enough – this is going to take a significant shift in the systems and processes will mean that Agile Software cost reductions and relaxing of the rules governing space is starting to have profound effects on the role of humans way humans interact with their technology. Concepts such Development and IT Operations (DevOps) approaches access, commercial satellite constellations are now being tasked with engaging with this data. In the defence and as Human-Machine teaming and the insertion of machine will be commonplace, with system changes made daily launched with little fanfare or mainstream coverage. This security domain, this includes the intelligence analysis intelligence into day-to-day operations is well documented and algorithmic updates hourly depending on mission is taking the total number of space platforms in Low Earth community. These skilled people are tasked with taking but it is now, with the quantity of data that is available, will requirements. We will be in a world where the boundaries Orbit (LEO) to nearly 2000, including a host of commercial data and converting it into usable information and insightful these technological innovations be so essential – especially between operations, experimentation and training become providers offering a range of valuable services. intelligence – but they can only deal with so much data when combined with the vast amounts of Publically Available blurred. Data Scientists will train machines – analysts will be effectively. The former head of the United States’ National Information (PAI) collected via the internet every day. This supported by machines – machines will help develop analysts Many different sectors are benefiting from this significant Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), Robert Cardillo said represents another challenge - if this data is available to us, – and all in a constant cycle of improvement, integration market development. In the earth observation market alone, that without technical tools and support, an extra 8 million then it is available to everyone. Regardless if you are the and action. In turn, this will improve how we manage, task environmental monitoring, smart agriculture, meteorological analysts would be required to analyse all of the data coming United States government or a teenager in their bedroom, and ultimately collect further data whilst refining the next survey and the energy sector are areas that have been from new data sources – including commercial space-based we all potentially have access to everything. Only by moving generation of space collectors and look to fuse the data they revolutionised by the advent of commercial space-based data collection. Given how unlikely hiring 8 million extra analysts at the pace of relevance – machine speed – can we hope to provide with the widest possible sources that are available. collection. From a defence and security perspective, nations is likely to be, and the monumental challenge of processing keep our edge with understanding the data that is out there. and their relevant intelligence organisations are also developing and organising this data – another solution is needed. The data revolution is here. Our people, our wider organisations how commercial space-based ‘Intelligence, Surveillance and So how do we move faster? There is no doubt that technology and our ambition need to be ready to realise the challenges Reconnaissance’ (ISR) can support them, including how the This is where space technology meets Information Advantage holds the key to managing the flood of data, but technology and the limitless benefits that this revolution will provide. collection of vast data sets – including imagery and geospatial back on earth – what the UK MOD describes as ‘the cannot be integrated in isolation. Over the next 10-15 years, information – can be consumed and used effectively. advantage gained through the continuous, adaptive, decisive there will be transformational change in the way we engage and resilient employment of information’ - this means that with data, including large, complex data sets from space Postcards from Space 6 Joris Naudet PROBA Systems Engineer September 2019 A Proven Record for Delivering Data On 22 October 2001, the PROBA-1 satellite was launched While the first two satellites in the ‘PROBA’ series were a into space in a low Earth orbit. Although it was originally combination of demonstration and application missions, planned as a one-year mission, the satellite has provided data the latest generation has evolved the platform to be fully successfully ever since its launch ….and it is still going strong! autonomous. After its successful commissioning, PROBA-V now serves as an operational mission satellite and, today, it Manufactured by QinetiQ, PROBA-1 is one of the smallest is supplying data to a huge community of over 1500 users satellites launched by the European Space Agency - from universities, companies and institutions to research (ESA) and is less than a cubic metre in volume. organisations all over the world. What is remarkable about PROBA-V is that it was originally a gap-filler. However, we PROBA stands for PRoject for On-Board Autonomy, and is a were able to build a very innovative and state-of-the-art series of micro-satellites that can fulfil a variety of requirements. satellite that has proved to be as resilient as it versatile. PROBA-1, for example, hosts a couple of Earth Observation instruments including a state-of-the-art hyperspectral imager. PROBA-V has become part of the overall capacity for Earth Observation (EO) to support weather forecasting, track PROBA’s sister and brother - PROBA-2 and PROBA-V - came in biodiversity and wildlife and to monitor and respond to 2009 and 2013 respectively and they are still orbiting around natural disasters such as bush fires, floods, earthquakes, the Earth in perfect condition. They are tracked from our station and tsunamis. This insight and data is also invaluable in at Redu in Belgium and, every time they pass over the station, helping us to predict and adapt to climate change, to manage they receive their instructions and then proceed to carry out natural resources and to improve agricultural practices by their tasks autonomously.