Space Missions
Meeting the Challenge of Low Cost Lunar Exploration
Nadeem Ghafoor MDA / SSL
LEAG 2013, 14-16th October, APL, Laurel MD Changing Times
• New space exploration era • Positives – Exciting new exploration frontiers • More remote destinations & regions • More autonomous operation • More capable science instruments • More sustainable exploration – New technological capabilities – Increased global coordination (e.g. ISECG) • Challenges – More technically ambitious – Reduced political impetus – Reduced budgets – flat being the new up
• “Low Cost” is de rigueur in space exploration today 2 Living With Low Cost
• Heritage • Approach • Partnerships
– International
– Commercial
But first – some introductions…
3 Intro: MDA
• 40 years of support to govt & commercial space • Canada’s largest space company & mission prime • Global provider of space robotic systems – Human spaceflight • Shuttle & ISS robotics • 100+ successful robotic missions • Support to NASA, CSA, JAXA, commercial – Orbital servicing • Satellite servicing demonstrations for NASA, DARPA, DoD, CSA – Planetary Exploration • 10+ years of robotics on Mars • MER, MSL, Phoenix, OSIRIS-Rex, ExoMars • Affordable small / medium satellite missions – EO, Surveillance & SSA – Optical, Radar • Radarsats, Rapideye, Sapphire, Cassiope – 1000+ antennas on 125+ satellites across most commercial & military bands 4 Intro: SSL
• Formerly Space Systems Loral – acquired by MDA in 2012 • 55 years of commercial & government space – World’s largest provider of GEO commercial communications satellites – High reliability, long-life (15 yr) platform – Largest heritage 20+kW bus in the industry – High power (30+kW) Solar Electric Propulsion • 250+ satellites for LEO, GEO & HEO operations – 72 current operational GEO satellites – 16 with 20+kW power – 14 with Solar Electric Propulsion – 16 Earth Observation missions • Large satellite backlog with significant hosted payloads capacity direct to GEO • Propulsion & composite structures for NASA planetary missions – Viking, Voyager, Solar Dynamics Obsrv’ty, LADEE
5 MDA & SSL
• SSL acquired by MDA in 2012 • Integrated space capability – End-to-end delivery from mission & system integration to enabling payloads, subsystems & data services for civil & military space – 5000+ employees across US & Canada (+ international offices) – Heritage systems across EO, Sat Comm, Science & Exploration – Unique partnership offerings – international & commercial
6 Low Cost Perspectives – 1. Heritage
• Low Cost motivations can vary – Budget availability – Schedule – Political profile – Low Cost - Low Risk (e.g. Discovery) – Low Cost - Medium Risk (e.g. Class D missions)
• More often than not demands leveraging heritage – Technical risk – trusted concept, NRE – Programmatic Risk – Processes, Parts, Partnerships
• Heritage can sometime be an explicitly required program enabler – New Frontiers – Discovery – Flagship missions
7 Leveraging Heritage Examples
Large Science Missions – formerly for high reliability, now cost too • Example: Alpha-Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument
Mars 2020
Pathfinder APXS (1997) MER APXS (2004) MSL APXS (2012) • Example: Mars robotic manipulators
Mars 2020
MER IDD (2004) Phoenix Arm (2008) MSL Arm (2012) Leveraging Heritage Examples
SMD Competed Missions: New Frontiers high reliability, cost (explicit evals)
• Example: OSIRIS-Rex OLA Mapping Lidar & Altimeter
Comet / Asteroid Sample Return
USAF XSS-11 RPO Lidar Osiris Asteroid Mapping Asteroid Redirect (2005) Science Lidar (2016) Mission Leveraging Heritage Examples
SMD Competed Missions: Small (Discovery, Scout) – cost, reliability
• Example: Phoenix MET
USAF XSS-11 RPO Lidar Phoenix MET Station Lidar (2008) (2005) • Example: Insight Robotics & Mechanisms
MPL Arm (1999) Phoenix Arm (2008) Insight Arm (2016) Leveraging Heritage Examples
Small Science Missions: cost, new concepts • Example: LADEE Propulsion System – COTS derived bipropellant system – Same thrusters & flow management components – Same construction & integration processes – Module structure – Tailored composite process development – Lightweight à rapid vehicle assembly
SSL 1300 Spacecraft Bus LADEE Structure & Propulsion System Towards Low Cost Lunar Exploration
Lunar Orbiter Missions
• Heritage Propulsion systems – Chemical propulsion – e.g. LADEE – Industry-leading Solar Electric Propulsion • 300+ SPTs flown since 1971 • Long-life heritage in GEO
• Hosted Payloads – Onboard imaging & other science instruments – Rideshares and dispensed small lunar spacecraft (e.g. cubesats)
12 Towards Low Cost Lunar Exploration
Lunar Lander Missions • Surface robotics – 30 yrs of orbital & planetary manipulators – New Frontiers Moonrise Arm • Excavation, sample acquisition & transfer – Down-selected for Round #3 Ph A • Completed 2011 – Developments since • 2013 CSA-funded Lunar Dust Mitigation risk-buy down tech development • ExoMars mechanisms & avionics
• Landing sensors – Planetary Lidar / Laser Altimeter – CSA/ESA-funded landing GNC testing
13 Towards Low Cost Lunar Exploration
Lunar Rover Missions • Resource Prospector Mission – 2013 Rover concept design study for CSA • Short-duration Class D mission • Lunar tele-operable rover available for 2018 • Survive short shadowed-region sortie • Carry RESOLVE payload & instruments • DTE comms; ~ few km traverse • Night survival only as an option • Heritage from ExoMars rover – Mobility electromechanical elements – Low-temperature avionics • CSA risk buy-down activities – Multiple rover prototypes – Lunar dust mitigation technologies
14 Low Cost Perspectives: 2. International Partnerships
• Increasingly crucial element of exploration, particularly for Moon • Advantages – Cost sharing – Heritage systems, mission opportunities – Political value
• Multiple successful examples – NASA Phoenix (competed) – MSL Curiosity (flagship) – New Frontiers (competed) • 3 finalists had international elements • Winner has international element (OLA)
15 Low Cost Perspectives: 2. International Partnerships
• Key areas – Management of timelines and commitment expectations, particularly in early phases – Management of risk approaches on both sides – Focus on heritage – ITAR DARPA Orbital Express • Manageable – proven on many programs Rendezvous Demo (2006) • Just requires time, process & experience • International agreements
• MDA-SSL programmatic flexibility – Heritage on both sides of border – Technology available on both sides of border – Tailor to suit customer needs: US (domestic USAF XSS-11 RPO Lidar (2005) interest) or international (political / cost sharing) 16 Low Cost Perspectives: 3. Commercial Partnerships
• Hosted Payloads - Onboard – Leverage high SSL commercial spacecraft flight rate (5-6 / yr) – Backlog of almost 20 spacecraft - direct delivery to GEO – Range of hosting options for payloads and small spacecraft
PODs: Payload Orbital Delivery system 17 Low Cost Perspectives: 3. Commercial Partnerships
• Long history of SSL hosted payloads (Science, comms, tech demo) – e.g. NASA GSFC Laser Comm Relay demonstration
Pallet Experiments Solar X-Ray Imager ESA EGNOS L- (SXI) Band Hosted Payloads
Cisco IRIS Router
Spanish X-Band Rx Phased Array
Japanese MTSAT Payload Suite
Australian Milsatcom CCD Cameras (“Dish Earth”, Channel 287) 18 Low Cost Perspectives: 3. Commercial Partnerships
Hosted Payloads – Dispensed spacecraft • Long sought after capability – increasingly needed – Cost constraints – Advances in micro/nanosat capabilities (e.g. lunar cubesats) • DARPA Phoenix (2013+) addressing several technology elements with PODS – Dispensing of “Satlets” – Enabling NRE for future lunar & planetary micro / nano missions – Targets 2015/16 launch – MDA / SSL supporting Phoenix from multiple divisions • Pasadena • Toronto PODs: Payload • Paolo Alto Orbital Delivery system 19 Summary
• Low cost is de rigeur for space science & exploration today
• Heritage systems have been a proven enabler for recent missions
• Many technologies exists with more under current development for small-class science & exploration lunar missions
• International partnership is an enabler when managed successfully
• Procurement flexibility can be valuable & options exist today
• New commercial partnership options are emerging for lunar micro/ nano missions via launch / rideshare / hosted payloads
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• [email protected] Summary
• Low cost is de rigeur for space science & exploration today
• Heritage systems have been a proven enabler for recent missions
• Many technologies exists with more under current development for small-class science & exploration lunar missions
• International partnership is an enabler when managed successfully
• Procurement flexibility can be valuable & options exist today
• New commercial partnership options are emerging for lunar micro/ nano missions via launch / rideshare / hosted payloads
• Thank you – and keep the faith!
• [email protected] Space Missions
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