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The Small Payload Orbit Transfer (SPORT™) Vehicle and the Business Environment for the Next Generation of Piggyback Launch Options

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The Small Payload Orbit Transfer (SPORT™) Vehicle and the Business Environment for the Next Generation of Piggyback Launch Options SSC01-II-5 The Small Payload ORbit Transfer (SPORT™) Vehicle and The Business Environment for the Next Generation of Piggyback Launch Options Dr. Ahmad Sabirin Arshad Astronautic Technology SB Suite 3-2, Incubator 3 Technology Park Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 57000 Malaysia 6 (03) 899-83100 [email protected] Aaron Jacobovits AeroAstro, Inc. 327 A Street Boston, MA 02210 (617) 451-8630 x15 [email protected] Yasser Ahmad Astronautic Technology SB 520 Huntmar Park Drive Herndon, VA 20170 (703) 709-2240 x138 [email protected] David J. Goldstein AeroAstro, Inc. 327 A Street Boston, MA 02210 (617) 451-8630 [email protected] Abstract. AeroAstro and Astronautic Technology Sdn. Bhd. (ATSB) are developing the Small Payload ORbit Transfer (SPORT) Vehicle. Primarily designed to take advantage of the many auxiliary launch opportunities to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), SPORT acts as a small upper stage by moving a small payload from GTO to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is typically a much more desirable orbit. An innovative combination of aerobraking and chemical propulsion allows SPORT to accomplish this mission while keeping costs low. This paper provides an overview of the growing market for auxiliary launches, which also includes a discussion of launch brokering, SPORT, competing decommissioned ICBMs, as well as the needs of different user segments. The SPORT team’s bilateral business arrangements with a Dr. Ahmad Sabirin 1 15th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites primary launch vehicle operator bring an additional point of view to the paper. SPORT’s pioneer mission is planned for 2003, for this first mission, a Malaysian satellite mounted on top of SPORT will be launched into GTO on an Ariane 5 Structure for Auxiliary Payloads (ASAP) micro launch slot. SPORT will then place its payload, a low earth orbit satellite, into a 9° inclination, 700 km altitude orbit. Introduction price advantages of building a small spacecraft for a very low cost are lost due to Once a curiosity, over the past decade small expensive launch systems and a lack of spacecraft (under 500 kg) have become a key options for access to orbit. strategic element of nearly every space program, from long-time spacefaring nations There are a number of possible solutions to to newly emerging space economies to new this problem, ranging from dedicated launch commercial space ventures. Obstacles that vehicles to decommissioned ICBMs previously made it difficult to build small (generally Russian) to auxiliary, or satellites capable enough to fulfill meaningful “piggyback”, launches. However, the most missions have been solved through the use of cost-effective and least risky of these options, advanced technologies. Such technologies auxiliary launches on reliable larger launch include highly efficient Lithium-Ion batteries, vehicles, often is the least useful since large triple junction Gallium Arsenide solar cells, launches tend to go to orbits that are not and advances in electronics such as desirable by small spacecraft. AeroAstro’s line of Bitsy integrated miniature satellite electronics for power, The SPORT (Small Payload Orbit Transfer) communications and computing systems. vehicle has been developed through a global Additional benefits in miniaturization and partnership between Astronautic Technology reduced power consumption are being realized (M) Sdn. Bhd (ATSB) of Kuala Lumpur, in modern sensors and actuators for attitude Malaysia, and AeroAstro, Inc. of Herndon, determination and control. For example, Virginia. SPORT is coupled with small modern star trackers are not only smaller and spacecraft on auxiliary or ‘piggyback’ less power-hungry, but also feature integrated launches on large launch vehicles. SPORT computers and three-axis knowledge. Modern carries small spacecraft the “last mile” from sun sensors, such as AeroAstro’s MSS-1-B, as the drop-off point on the large launch vehicle well as modern torque wheels also do away to their final custom orbits. This turns the with the large auxiliary electronics boxes that many unused auxiliary launches into a useful older ones required. Of particular interest is and low-cost alternatives to reach orbit. In the the increasing viability of large inflatable telecommunications industry, the “last mile” space components, which allow very large refers to the high cost final link between trunk deployables to be very tightly packaged. lines and people’s homes- often the most expensive and most difficult part of a However, despite all the technology telecommunications infrastructure. SPORT developments on the spacecraft side, launch to serves a very similar purpose for auxiliary orbit remains a high-cost obstacle. Launching launches. small satellites can be difficult and expensive, especially if achieving a custom final orbit is This paper presents an overview the needs of key to the success of the mission. Often, the the small spacecraft market from a demand Dr. Ahmad Sabirin 2 15th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites (needs of users) and a supply (available launch Historical Demand for Small Satellite options) point of view. It discusses how Launches SPORT changes that market landscape through innovative applications of small A good method of gauging demand is to satellite technology. Besides technical aspects analyze historical trends, which are often of the market, both business and political considered more reliable than predictions factors are considered. Through this based on press announcements in the market discussion, the paper hopes to begin a place. In a study for the United States dialogue with small spacecraft users to Department of Defense, AeroAstro researched increase the understanding of the the history of small satellite launches, some marketplace’s emerging needs and how results of which are presented below. Data technologies such as SPORT can fill those was culled from sources including the TRW needs. Space Log and Teal Group reports, as well as from AeroAstro internal databases. Market Demand As shown in Figure 1, there is robust demand Small Satellite Builders historically for small spacecraft. A plurality of these are in the 0-60 kg range, with over The number of organizations using small 350 launched. Russian spacecraft were spacecraft, both globally and in the United removed since their overwhelmingly large States, is continually increasing. These numbers of military microsatellites tend to organizations include civil and military skew the results, and since they are virtually government bodies, commercial guaranteed to launch on decommissioned communications and remote sensing Russian ICBMs they are not active players in businesses, and even entertainment the marketplace. Even discounting Russian companies. These organizations all launches, nearly 200 spacecraft have launched understand that modern small satellites, in the 61-150 kg range, and nearly 300 have enabled by the latest advanced technology, are launched with masses ranging from 151-600 a key asset to meet their needs. kg. Providers of small spacecraft include ATSB, Although there is strong demand for small AeroAstro, Ball Aerospace, Orbital satellite launches, they have historically Corporation, and Surrey Satellite Technology accounted for less than 10% of the overall Limited. Additionally, a number of users launch marketplace, and therefore the overall semi-compete with these commercial launch market is strongly dominated by the providers by building their own spacecraft, needs of much larger satellites and payloads including national space agencies, NASA, with masses usually well over 1000 kg. The military organizations, and commercial users demands of large satellites are often much who set up their own one-time ‘in-house’ different from the demands of small ones, and satellite shops. The cost for small spacecraft that leads to the GTO paradox- a high global can range from less than $1M to over $100M, supply, with accompanying low-cost auxiliary but generally ranges from $4M to $12M for a capacity, for launches to orbits not desirable typical small spacecraft bus of medium for small spacecraft. Furthermore, as shown in capability. Figure 2, the trends in this sector are all upwards, with significant growth trends in the 0-60 kg mass class just as an example. Dr. Ahmad Sabirin 3 15th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites 400 200 0 0 – 60 kg 61 – 150 kg 151 – 300 kg 301 – 600 kg Figure 1: Small Satellites Launched Worldwide (Not Including Russian) Through 1998. 40 30 20 10 0 1980 1990 2000 2004 Figure 2: Teal Group Projections Show Growth in the 0-60 kg Mass Class. Large spacecraft tend to exhibit a strong launch vehicles such as the Ariane 4 and 5 and demand for Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit the Atlas and Delta II. Satellites bound for (GTO), since many large remote sensing and GEO tend to be very large due to large and communications satellites are destined for complex payloads requiring large and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). As shown complex support buses. Furthermore, the cost in Figure 3 in the left-hand graph, when large to launch to distant GEO, including the launches are considered along with small satellite’s own propulsion system, is so high ones, there is strong historical demand for that it makes sense to design with significant launches to GTO being fulfilled by large redundancy and margin, to reduce mission risk Dr. Ahmad Sabirin 4 15th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites All Lauches n by Orbit Small Lauches n by Orbit 300 60 313 59 250 50 20 8 20 0 40 177 150 30 10 10 0 20 57 50 0 10 18 24 Total U.S. 0 8 To t al U.S. 3 Ariane 0 2 GT O Polar GT O Ariane LEO Po lar LEO Figure 3: Large vs. Small Satellite Launch Destinations Through 1999 Show GTO Paradox. to an absolute minimum. These large The GTO paradox is that a relatively (in the spacecraft require large launch vehicles, context of small spacecraft) large amount of which in turn tend to have significant mass mass margin is usually left over on large margin remaining on each launch.
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