Archives for May 2020

Artist impression of DOSAAF-85/RS-44 flying free but seems to be still attached to Breeze K/M rocket body

The amateur radio linear transponder (SSB/CW) payload on the Russian satellite DOSAAF-85 (RS-44) has been activated.

Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB reports:

DOSAAF-85 is a small scientific satellite created by specialists of the company Information Satellite Systems (ISS) Reshetnev and students of the Siberian State Aerospace University (SibSAU) Krasnoyarsk.

DOSAAF-85 / RS-44 under construction

The satellite is named after the 85th anniversary of the Voluntary Society for the Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy, the organization responsible for the military training of Soviet youth.

The DOSAAF-85 satellite is designed to provide amateur radio communications, as well as to develop promising technologies. This is the third satellite that was created by specialists of ISS-Reshetnev and is based on the Yubileyniy platform, which features a hexagonal prism structure with body mounted solar cells.

DOSAAF-95 / RS-44 Antennas, 435 MHz top 145 MHz bottom

The satellite was launched into orbit on December 26, 2019 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome and is in an elliptical orbit with a perigee of 1175 km, an apogee of 1511 km and an inclination of 82.5 degrees.

Transmitter power: 5 watts
Beacon: 435.605 MHz – transmits CW call sign RS44

Inverting transponder:
Earth-to-Space: 145.965 MHz +/- 30 kHz
Space-to-Earth: 435.640 MHz +/- 30 kHz

Source Dmitry Pashkov R4UAB whose page also contains the satellite’s TLE, see
https://tinyurl.com/RussiaR4UAB

Peter 2M0SQL has added RS-44 to the AMSAT Live OSCAR Satellite Status Page at
https://www.amsat.org/status/

Linear Satellite Frequency Summary https://www.amsat.org/linear-satellite-frequency-summary/

RS-44 Pass Prediction http://amsat.org.ar/pass?satx=rs-44

By Dimitry Pashkov,  AmSatUK

Rocket Lab’s 12th Electron launch dress rehearsal.
Photo is courtesy of the company.

Rocket Lab has resumed launch operations for the firm’s next Electron launch, following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions at Launch Complex 1. The mission will launch payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra Space.

Rocket Lab’s 12th Electron launch was originally scheduled for March 27th, however, the launch was postponed in response to ‘Stay At Home’ orders that required most businesses to close in response to COVID-19. With restrictions now easing and some businesses able to re-open with safety measures in place, launch operations have resumed safely and crews at Launch Complex 1 completed a successful wet dress rehearsal on May 7, NZT.

The launch is scheduled to take place from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. A new 14-day launch window for the mission will be confirmed soon.

The Electron launch vehicle and the Launch Complex 1 ground systems have remained in a state of readiness throughout the Covid-19 lockdown in preparation for a quick return to launch operations. Enhanced health and safety processes will be implemented for this launch in line with government health advice to protect Rocket Lab personnel. These measures include physical distancing, split shifts, maintaining contact tracing registers, and enhanced cleaning procedures.

This week, Rocket Lab was also able to return to full production for Electron launch vehicles and Photon satellites. Accelerated manufacturing processes are in place to deliver a launch vehicle off the production line every 18 days to meet a busy launch manifest for the remainder of the year and into 2021. Through the brief pause in launch operations, Rocket Lab has maintained its entire workforce and continued placing orders with its suppliers, many of whom operate small businesses across the U.S. and New Zealand. 

Peter Beck

Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder and CEO, stated the early and decisive lockdown action has enabled the company to resume launch operations safely, providing commercial and government small satellite operators with access to space when they need it most. He said the company’s focus in recent years has been to structure Rocket Lab’s teams and operations in a way that enables rapid production and launch capability in order to respond quickly to our customers’ needs and spool up launch operations within days. The company built the team and facilities with a focus on flexibility and responsiveness, and while Rocket Lab didn’t think a global pandemic would be the reason for demonstrating rapid launch capability, the firm is able to put it into practice now. Beck stated that the firm counts themselves incredibly fortunate to be working with such dedicated teams at NASA, the NRO and UNSW Canberra Space who have been steadfast in their support and look forward to delivering their payloads to orbit and keeping access to space open for them through these times.

Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. Photo is courtesy of the company.

Work on the FalconSAT-8.
Photo is courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

A satellite built by U.S. Air Force Academy cadets will launch into space on May 16 aboard the X-37B, Orbital Test Vehicle sponsored by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and built by Boeing — this is the first time a satellite built and designed by cadets will catch a ride into space aboard the X-37B.

The U.S.A.F.’s X-37B Spaceplane.

FalconSAT-8 will carry five experimental payloads, and members of the Cadet Space Operations Squadron will operate FalconSAT-8.

There’s little doubt that the work by cadets will have an effect on the new Space Force, which opened for business in December and is designed to maintain and enhance the competitive edge of the Defense Department in space. Eighty-six cadets in this year’s graduating class commission into the Space Force.

Good noted that few undergraduate programs allow their students to work on flight hardware and design and build their own flight components. Cadets are given hands-on work that allows them to get a feel for real engineering on real projects.

Lt. Col. Dan Showalter, assistant astronautics professor at the Academy, said  that as novel as this mode of transportation might be, the purpose for cadets in the school’s space program is the same as it was when the school’s space program began in the 80s. FalconSAT-8 is an educational platform for cadets. He added that several cadets, including Cadets 1st Class Reagan Good and Claudio Yambao, traveled to Cape Canaveral, Florida to deliver, test, and integrate FalconSAT-8 with the X-37B. This is  like an engineering internship – experimental technologies for the Air Force are flown to evaluate their performance on-orbit,

The Academy’s space program consists of aerospace experts, mechanics and engineers. The FalconSAT program serves as an academic platform for an array of aerospace industry and DOD experiments. Cadets design spacecraft and integrate payloads in the Space Systems Research Center with faculty support.

FalconSAT-8 is the Academy’s capstone undergraduate systems engineering course managed by the school’s Astronautics department.

Cadet Yambao said the space program’s motto, “Learning Space by Doing Space,” means cadets get to experience the postgraduate engineering world on campus and entails building and testing components of a spacecraft and understanding how it plays a role in the entire space engineering community.

Cadets and instructors in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s FalconSAT program pose for a group photograph at the Academy. They were directly involved in building a salivate scheduled to launch into space May 16 aboard the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, sponsored by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and built by Boeing. This is the first time a satellite built and designed by cadets will catch a ride into space aboard the X-37B. Photo is courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

AMERGINT Technology Holdings (AMERGINT) has acquired Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) — this transaction will bring together AMERGINT Technologies, Inc. and TUI to provide integrated end-to-end solutions for satellite communications and in-space services to the space market. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1994 by technologist Dr. Hoyt and the renowned science fiction author Dr. Robert L. Forward, for more than 25 years TUI has pioneered an array of innovative space technologies, including software defined radios for satellite communications and mesh networks, robotic systems for in-space servicing, manufacturing, and assembly, and advanced propulsion solutions for orbital maneuvering and orbital debris mitigation.

TUI supplies the space industry with high-performance satellite components that include the SWIFT® software defined radio (SDR), the Terminator Tape™ Deorbit Module, the HYDROS™ water-electrolysis thruster and the COBRA™ gimbal as well as research and development into robotics and in-space manufacturing systems.

Moving forward, AMERGINT and TUI will increasingly offer integrated satellite communications offerings combining software-defined satellite radios with software-defined ground stations. The two companies will also build upon the full suite of technologies and products at both companies around space servicing and test systems to offer a wide range of solutions for government and commercial customers.

Dr. Rob Hoyt, TUI’s CEO, stated that joining forces with AMERGINT makes tremendous sense for Tethers Unlimited. Combining AMERGINT’s ground-based processors and modems with TUI’s software-defined satellite radios and mesh network solution enables us to provide flexible, affordable, secure and resilient end-to-end communications services that scale to meet the needs of the hybrid space architectures under development by the Space Force, the Space Development Agency, DARPA, USAF and the Intelligence Community.

Larry Hill, CEO of AMERGINT Technology Holdings, said the company is thrilled to welcome Rob and the team at TUI into the family and to bring together two engineering-driven, technology organizations that are focused on solving our customers’ toughest challenges across the space ecosystem. At a time when AMERGINT customers are increasingly focused on integrated communications and data networks, the firm is excited to close the link between software-defined solutions from the ground architecture to the spacecraft.

Rob Andzik, president of AMERGINT, noted, that bringing the expertise of TUI and AMERGINT together enables the firm to provide the space and defense sectors with the next generation of solutions to manage the capture, processing, transport and exploitation of vital mission data for communication and data links.

PUNCH smallsats on-orbit. Image is courtesy of SwRI.

On April 8, 2020, the Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission achieved an important milestone, passing NASA’s critical System Requirements Review/Mission Definition Review (SRR/MDR).

Southwest Research Institute is leading PUNCH, a NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) mission that will integrate understanding of the Sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere visible during eclipses, with the tenuous “solar wind” filling the solar system.

The solar wind, a supersonic stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun, fills the heliosphere, the bubble-like region of space encompassing our solar system. Its boundary, where the interstellar medium and solar wind pressures balance, ends the sphere of the Sun’s influence.

PUNCH is a constellation of four separate smallsats scheduled to launch in 2023 into a polar orbit formation. One satellite carries a coronagraph, the Narrow Field Imager, that images the Sun’s corona continuously. The other three each carry SwRI-developed wide-angle cameras, Wide Field Imagers (WFI), optimized to image the solar wind. These four instruments work together to form a single field of view spanning 90 degrees of the sky, centered on the Sun.

SRR/MDR is a major milestone of mission development. It checks the flow of engineering and mission definition as activities segue into the design phase.

The SMEX program provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space using innovative, efficient approaches within the heliophysics and astrophysics science areas. In addition to leading the PUNCH science mission, SwRI will operate the mission and build the four spacecraft and three WFIs. The PUNCH team includes the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, which is building the Narrow Field Imager, and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, England.

PUNCH Principal Investigator Dr. Craig DeForest of SwRI’s Space Science and Engineering Division said that for more than 50 years, SwRI has studied the solar corona by remote imaging and the solar wind by direct sampling. PUNCH will bridge that gap by imaging the solar wind itself as it leaves the outermost reaches of the Sun’s corona. Preparing for the SRR/MDR review was an unexpected challenge. Team members have been working at home for over three weeks, yet they met the challenge and presented their design in written and oral presentations culminating in the positive decision from the company’s review board.

The wide field imager. Photo is courtesy of SwRI.

Chris Forrester

Jeff Bezos’s Amazon is studying UK-headquartered satellite business OneWeb which is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, as is being reported by journalists Chris Forrester at the Advanced Television infosite.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Bezos, who has his own Project Kuiper mega-constellation of satellites in the planning and development stage, had his lawyers inspecting OneWeb’s assets. Other due-diligence examinations of OneWeb’s financials include Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat.

The UK government has also examined OneWeb’s books and assets and this is understood to be connected to a request from OneWeb for a cash injection to help keep it afloat.

The deadline for interested parties to express an interest in making a formal bid will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York-time, on May 4th. The actual auction process will take place on July 2nd if more than one interested party expresses interest.

The formal press advertising confirming the bankruptcy of OneWeb appeared in various newspapers on May 1st.

The logic for Bezos in entering a bid for all or part of the OneWeb business is that it would give Amazon a ‘fast track’ to launching Project Kuiper, although some aspects of the Kuiper plan would need adjustment.

However, Bezos has his own rockets in development which would easily launch the remaining satellites in the OneWeb plan. Moreover, unlike SpaceX and Eutelsat, Amazon has millions of registered users around the globe who might become subscribers of an Amazon-backed, broadband-by-satellite system.

The logic for Eutelsat is that they are the only ‘Big Four’ satellite operator without an LEO satellite plan.

Intelsat had an agreement with OneWeb, which might be re-instated with a successful bidder for OneWeb’s assets. SES has its existing O3b MEO system and expansion with mPower satellites. Telesat has a scheme for almost 300 LEO satellites.

Up for grabs are OneWeb’s spectrum and frequency allocations, as well as 74 satellites already on-orbit.

NASA has NanoAvionics lined up to build a 12U nanosatellite bus for an in-orbit demonstration of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3). It will be an approximately 800 square foot (74 square meter) composite boom and solar sail system.  

This is a result of a contract between NASA Ames Research Center and AST for a 12U bus to carry NASA’s payload into low Earth orbit (LEO) including an approximately 800 square foot (74 square meter) composite boom and solar sail system.  

The aim of the ACS3 mission is to replace conventional rocket propellants by developing and testing solar sails using sunlight beams to thrust the nanosatellite. These solar sail propulsion systems are designed for future small interplanetary spacecrafts destined for low-cost deep-space and science missions requiring long-duration, low-thrust propulsion.  

NanoAvionics has conducted more than 75 successful satellite missions and satellite-related commercial projects. The company will assemble the 12U bus at its new Columbia facility in Illinois, while the final integration of the payload will be carried out at NASA Ames facilities. Matching NASA Ames’ mission requirements, the 12U bus shares the same flight-proven subsystems as NanoAvionics’ flagship M6P bus but with up to 10U payload volume. The larger volume will be necessary to provide enough room for the 4.6 kg payload that includes the composite boom and solar sail system as well as cameras to monitor the solar sail during and after deployment. 

F. Brent Abbott, CEO of NanoAvionics North America said that he’s tremendously proud and excited that NanoAvionics will be part of NASA’s effort to validate a new beam-powered propulsion system, eventually leading to more marvelous deep-space missions following the first inter-planetary CubeSats MarCO-A and B (Mars Cube One). The technology demonstration using NanoAvionics’ 12U bus will be the first ever in-orbit trial of NASA’s composite booms as well as sail packing and deployment systems for a solar sail. It will guide the development of a next generation nanosatellites with solar sail propulsion system for small inter-planetary spacecraft.

As part of this agreement the company will also supply a mechanical testbed model and a FlatSat model. In addition, a team of NanoAvionics engineers will provide the support required for testing, integration and operations of the nanosatellite.  

The FlaSat model has identical software functionality as the final 12U bus hardware, hosting the actual payload. It allows NASA Ames to run tests via remote network connectivity without having to ship equipment back and forth. The mechanical testbed model can be used for testing payload integration and other mechanical tests, such as the deployment of solar sails.  

In 2018 AST acquired a controlling interest in NanoAvionics as part of its strategy to establish manufacturing capabilities in Europe and North America. Abel Avellan, CEO and chairman of AST serves as chairman of NanoAvionics’ Board of Directors. 

Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Professor Chris Newman, Professor of Space Law and Policy at Northumbria University, Newcastle, to collaborate on investigating end-of-life standards and practices from various industries, such as oil and nuclear energy.

The project will highlight the need for shared knowledge from such decommissioning initiatives which can be applied to the satellite industry, encouraging responsible behavior in space and improving space environmental protection. The oil and nuclear industries demonstrate a commitment to environmental responsibility through various decommissioning policies and strategies. With the health and safety of people and the environment the primary concern, decommissioning strategies focus on returning the environment to its natural state.

Legal and regulatory frameworks have been enacted in many countries, creating decommissioning funds and ensuring that the provision of end-of-life capabilities are integral in licensing processes. While no regulations or standardization for end-of-life practices currently exist in the satellite industry, there are lessons which can be learned and applied from these industries.

Harriet Brettle, Head of Business Analysis at Astroscale, noted that this project is a call to action for collaboration across sectors and is a natural fit for Astroscale to represent the satellite industry. As the firm is leading the market in the development of the innovative technology necessary for end-of-life solutions, the company also wants to lead the development of the other aspects required for a sustainable space ecosystem

Professor Chris Newman added that through this collaboration, those involved seek to identify innovative legal frameworks, policies and business models that can move the satellite industry toward a more sustainable future. The pioneering research and teaching in Space Law and Policy which is occurring at Northumbria University makes this an ideal institution to work with the world-leading team at Astroscale. This is an opportunity to change the way in which space is managed and to further embed sustainable practices in outer space activity.

The first working paper with Northumbria University is scheduled to be published later this year.

TS2 SPACE company is introducing new satellite link products to the international markets.

These types of telecommunication products are mainly used by the companies that execute contracts in the Near East and Asia, as well as by the soldiers that are stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Purchased bands give the company unlimited possibilities of configuration and setting any telecommunication connections from the Near East region and South-Western Asia.

TS2 SPACE offers satellite broadband internet access and corporate networks support. The operator’s broadband services enable bidirectional data transfer within the network and simultaneous internet access. The company provides all dedicated VSAT services for customers.

TS2 SPACE is mainly investing in the new technology of ST Engineering iDirect — Evolution X3 is the next-generation satellite systems featuring iDirect’s highly efficient implementation of the DVB-S2 standard. The Evolution X3 Satellite Router is ideally suited for broadband requirements such as Internet and VPN access to enterprise networks, as well as real-time VoIP and video conferencing.

The TS2 staff is monitoring the performance of satellite network 24 hours a day, in order to enable the immediate help in case of breakdown or receipt of alert. Due to technical conditions and favorable weather, the Teleport is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Therefore the signal from the headend aerial is not disturbed by the weather conditions and all connection users of TS2 receive services of the highest availability. The Teleport configuration is fully redundant and the services are also available on the national market.

TS2 satellite services are used by: U.S. Department of State, United States Marine Corps (USMC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Australian Defence Force (ADF), Command of Polish Navy, Air Force Institute of Technology, Lockheed Martin Information Technology, Halliburton Energy Services, KBR, General Dynamics Information Technology, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace and US Naval Research Laboratory, among others.