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Preliminary Design of a High Performance Solar Sailing Mission

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Preliminary Design of a High Performance Solar Sailing Mission SSC02-II-5 Preliminary Design of a High Performance Solar Sailing Mission Dan Cohen AeroAstro, Inc. 327 A St., 5th Floor Boston, MA 02210 617-451-8630 x19 [email protected] Paul Gloyer AeroAstro, Inc. 160 Adams Lane Waveland, MS 39576 228-466-9863 [email protected] James Rogan Encounter 2001, LLC. 2444 Times Blvd #260 Houston, TX 77005 713-522-7282 [email protected] Abstract. The Team Encounter participants, Team Encounter, LLC, AeroAstro Inc., and L’Garde, Inc. have recently completed the preliminary design of the Team Encounter spacecraft, Humanity's First Starship™. The spacecraft, intended to be launched as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5 launcher in the first or second quarter of 2004, consists of two parts: the Carrier, which transports the Sailcraft beyond Earth’s gravity well and the Sailcraft which transports its payload of 3 kg out of the solar system. The Carrier must provide a stable platform for deployment and separation of the 4900 m2 solar sail, and will provide for video streaming of the Sailcraft as it begins its journey. The Team Encounter Sailcraft is the first spacecraft with the capability to self propel itself out of the solar system with a combination of performance-enhancing tacking maneuvers and an areal density of 3.4 g/m2 including payload. The mission analysis made use of an innovative unified Matlab / Satellite Tool Kit model developed by AeroAstro that simulates geometry, attitude and trajectory concurrently. This model was used to optimize motor firing, Sailcraft deployment and mission phasing. The Sailcraft ADCS control scheme was validated via stability analysis and simulation, and the results will be presented in this paper. Introduction The Team Encounter PDR was held February 28 are in turn broken down into the lower level and March 1, 2002 in Houston, TX. This paper mission elements, which are identified in Fig. 1. provides a technical summary of the design As in any significant engineering project, the status at PDR especially with respect to the PDR effort began with identific ation of Carrier design (along with its major requirements. From the top level product subsystems), Sailcraft attitude determination and requirements, provided by the Customer, the control system, systems engineering, trajectory technical team derived and flowed mission and mission simulation, assembly, integration, requirements, which in turn flowed into the test, launch vehicle integration and the ground Space and Ground Segments. The requirements segment. traceability process was flowed down to the subsystem and component level, in order to The scope of effort for the mission consists of a allow for preliminary identification of spacecraft Space Segment and a Ground Segment. These components and vendors. The requirements flow Cohen, Dan 1 16th Annual/USU Conference on Small Satellites Encounter Mission Space Segment Ground Segment Spacecraft Launch TEMOC Global Tracking Vehicle Network Cover Carrier Sailcraft Figure 1. Mission Element Breakdown and traceability process used on the Encounter Sailcraft (Stowed) program is shown in Fig. 2. Carrier Requirements Spacecraft Requirements Sailcraft Requirements Space Segment Requirements Launch Vehicle Requirements Product Mission Requirements Requirements Space/Ground Interface Requirements Carrier (Deployed View) Ground Segment Figure 3. Spacecraft Architecture Requirements Ground Control Software Requirements The Sailcraft is an atypical spacecraft, utilizing Figure 2. Requirements Flowdown an extremely light-weight gossamer structure, a suspended membrane, and deployment Space Segment Overview mechanism. The Sailcraft utilizes an autonomous attitude determination and control The space segment consists of the Spacecraft system that features dual-pitch attitude modes and Launch Vehicle . As shown in Fig. 1-1, the for trajectory and visibility optimization. It spacecraft consists of two major elements: the generates its own power through solar sail Carrier and the Sailcraft. The Carrier mounted thin-film solar array panels, and power propulsively transports the Sailcraft beyond the distribution and control is handled via an on- earth’s gravity well. Therefore, the Sailcraft is board avionics system. the Carrier’s payload until they separate. The Sailcraft, which is completely autonomous after The major mission phases for the Carrier separation from the Carrier, transports its 3-kg spacecraft are: payload out of the solar system. It is fully dependant on the solar sail to provide the · Launch propulsion needed for its mission. These major · Separation elements are shown in Fig. 3. · GTO/Secondary Payload Mission · Earth Escape The Carrier provides typical spacecraft resources · Sail Deployment to the payload, namely ADCS, power, · Sailcraft Separation propulsion, and a protective structure. It also · Sailcraft Cruise provides several mission unique services, such as a stable platform for deployment of a 76 m x The Encounter spacecraft will be launched on an 76 m solar sail, jitter-free imaging of the solar Ariane 5, accommodated by the flight proven sail separation and initial trajectory, as well as Ariane Structure for Auxiliary Payloads accommodation of secondary payloads. (ASAP). As a result, all launch operations will take place at the Centre Spatial Guyanese (CSG) Cohen, Dan 2 16th Annual/USU Conference on Small Satellites in Kourou, French Guiana. At CSG pre-launch The top plate of the Carrier structure acts as the spacecraft testing, hazardous operations (such as integration platform and interface plane for the pressurization of the cold-gas propulsion system Sailcraft and associated hardware. These and installation of the solid rocket motor), and components may be found in Fig. 5. Sailcraft (Sailcraft, Cover, combined operations that follow installation on Payload, and Ballast) the ASAP ring adapter will take place. Star Camera Electronics S&A Device Batteries Transponder Ground Segment Overview IMU Solar Panels Combiner/Diplexer And Cameras Cold Gas The Ground Segment is composed of two major Primary and Secondary System Structure (assembled elements: the Team Encounter Mission around structure) Operations Center (TEMOC) and the Global NanoCore Star Tracker Electronics Bundle Tracking Network. TEMOC will provide all the Secondary Payload command and control resources for the Solid Motor Encounter mission, and will be located at the Team Encounter headquarters in Houston, TX. It Figure 5. Encounter Exploded View will also provide for communications connectivity between the global tracking network and the launch site, as shown in Fig. 4. The Encounter spacecraft total mass allocation is constrained by Ariane. The maximum mass Spacecraft allowed for an ASAP payload is 120 kg. The Team Encounter Mission mass estimate as of PDR is 111.3 kg, which Operations Center Space – Ground (TEMOC) Interface allows for only 8.7 kg margin (7.2%) during the Guiana Space Space Center Segment ongoing detail design process. The Carrier mass breakdown is provided in Fig. 6. TCP/IP Comm to tracking network Thermal Mission • Ground control Software Sailcraft • Telemetry Processing 1% Payload • Mission Analysis Structural & 5% 16% Sec. Payload • Command Generation Global Tracking Mechanisms 2% Network (DSN) 8% Comms Ground Segment 2% Power 10% Imagers Figure 4. Ground Segment Architecture 4% ADCS C&DH 1% The global tracking network will make use of 3% the proven capabilities of the 26 m antenna Propulsion 48% resources of the Deep Space Network (DSN) managed by JPL. Figure 6. Carrier Mass Breakdown Carrier Description The power generation capability is in turn driven by the peak power requirement. The total power The Carrier primary structure (and load carrying capability (peak load) is approximately ~295 member) is the centrally located solid motor, Watts. The power usage distribution is provided baselined as an ATK Star 12G. Lightweight in Fig. 7. secondary structure carries all support Sailcraft (htrs) Sec. Payload 9% equipment including ADCS, communications, 2% Comms 15% Imagers 12% command and data handling (C&DH), Thermal 9% propulsion, imaging, and power subsystems. Deployable solar panels not only meet Structural & ADCS 8% Mechanical Encounter’s power requirements, but also 22% provide for stabilization during the high-rate Power 1% Propulsion spin mode necessary for the motor burn phase. C&DH 3% 19% Figure 7. Carrier Power Breakdown Cohen, Dan 3 16th Annual/USU Conference on Small Satellites Carrier Mission Phases appropriate perigee burn attitude. Operations will include 3-axis stabilization, slewing of the The Carrier mission begins at separation from spacecraft to burn attitude, spinning up to 120 the launch vehicle, and ends after completing to RPM (about the motor thrust vector axis), final downlink imaging data of the Sailcraft pre-burn orbit determination and telemetry separation event. However nothing in its design verification, and the perigee motor burn. The precludes the possibility of an extended mission, total duration of the Escape Burn phase is including secondary payload operations after estimated at 300 minutes, though the perigee this time. The Carrier mission may be broken burn itself will take only about 15 seconds to down into the following four major mission complete. phases: th In the 4 and final Carrier phase, Sailcraft 1. Post-Launch Check out and Configuration Deployment, the most critical mission activities 2. GTO Operations take place. These activities must be completed 3. Escape Burn per a strict mission timeline,
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