Archives for September 2021

Beam Budget has been updated and, according to developer Integrasys, is an essential tool for New Space LEO and MEO constellations.

The company has completed the updating of the LEO option, in order to offer a flexible solution for these new constellations. Beam Budget enables the user to seamlessly manage a LEO network by simultaneously calculating several dynamic links in real-time, as well as selecting a period of time within which to obtain the necessary metrics, tall o ensure a reliable infrastructure.

The latest development brings an update on the constellations database. This update includes up-to-date constellations as well as the new feature of the laser inter-satellite link, creating a robust network design and taking advantage of assets and latest constellations in any orbit.

For example, a GEO satellite constellation can transmit to a smallsat constellation to optimize latency for a particular application. LEO and MEO assets can connect via Laser with GEOs to ensure resiliency and availability. The tool allows comparisons in a matter of clicks for varying constellation throughput and service for parabolic and flat antennas. Integrasys has also improved the LEO and MEO reporting capabilities, with a Dual analysis of the forward and return link, as well as detailed information about the beams and coverage. The metrics are represented graphically in order for sales teams to more easily understand the results and then export this data and reportto Excel or to a PDF.

The company has also developed a complete footprint that includes the satellite footprints and their frequency range, with the specific frequency ranges defined by the operator. High precision in the gain of each beam is also produced, not only in working with discrete 2dB contours between each band, but also interpolating the gain to the exact locations, tehreby allowing intermediate values ​​and increasing the precision of the calculations.

ALE Co., Ltd.(ALE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and joint research agreements for the development of weather satellites with NTT Device Technology Laboratories, NTT Corporation (NTT), RIKEN Center for Computational Science, and National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and has initiated AETHER, an Industry-Academia collaboration project to tackle natural disasters with commercial weather satellites.

In recent years, the severity of natural disasters has been increasing around the world. In particular, the impact of disasters related to climate change is significant, with economic losses amounting to$2,245 billion (77% of all natural disasters) over the past 20 years. Due to geographic factors, Asia is more susceptible to natural disasters, and Japan, completely surrounded by water, is one of the most affected countries

To cope with these geographical conditions, the company has launched the Industry-academia collaboration project, AETHER, to reduce unreasonable damage from disasters by using data from space. By developing an original, small sensor for Earth Observation (EO) and acquiring atmospheric data from space with a weather satellite equipped with this sensor, the accuracy of weather forecasts can be improved.

These satellites were developed by bringing together the participating organizations and using their expertise in their respective fields to ultimately provide weather information suitable for the current global environment to Japan, a country prone to disasters. AETHER will be the first Japanese project to acquire observation data for weather forecasting with a commercial weather satellite.

Ideally, weather forecasting should be based on a wide range of stable observations ,regardless of location or time. Having said that, observation data taken from above the sea is not sufficient, as the observation methods are limited compared to those acquired from land. In the case of island nations such as Japan, acquiring a wide range of data, including from above the ocean ,is paramount for weather forecasting in coastal regions.

Satellites are suitable for continuous observation of a wide area under such conditions and, until now, large government satellites have played this role and contributed to weather forecasting. However, large satellites are expensive to manufacture and operate and it is not easy for the government to continue to operate them with a limited national budget.

On the other hand, weather forecasting is becoming more and more important due to the increasing number of natural disasters. For example, heavy rains and typhoons are phenomena for which it is important to have atmospheric data several hours to multiple days ahead of their occurrence, which is a relatively short period of time for weather forecasting. In order to improve the forecasting of these phenomena, more frequent and detailed data is required. Thus, more frequent and detailed data will demand the improvement of technology and the enhancement of related infrastructure.

AETHER will use a cubesat to drastically reduce the cost from hundreds of millions of dollars to millions of dollars per satellite, or from billions of dollars to tens of millions of dollars per project, a reduction of about 1/100. In addition, the company will develop a “microwave sounder” for this smallsat sensor to observe water vapor and temperature, important factors for weather forecasting, in the atmosphere day and night, regardless of weather conditions, one of the most important factors for weather forecasting.

With this additional data, ALE will be able to contribute to disaster prevention and mitigation as part of the commercial sector. Providing more frequent and additional observational data, we can complement the government’s large satellites by creating a smallsat constellation.

In AETHER, organizations specialized in each field have come together and established an integrated research and development system, ranging from observation to forecasting. NTT and NAOJ are in charge of the research and development of the core components of the small microwave sounder using sub-millimeter wave-band device technology in communication field and receiver technologies used for observation instruments in radio astronomy, respectively.

RIKEN will develop software for data assimilation and weather forecasting using its meteorological knowledge of large computer systems such as the supercomputer “Fugaku“. ALE will be in charge of the overall coordination of hardware and satellite operations using space technology cultivated in other projects and will also oversee the business aspects of AETHER in order to connect the technologies and knowledge of each organization to the new meteorological business.

The first step will be to develop elemental technologies, followed by a ground demonstration using a prototype, with the goal of a space demonstration within five years. Eventually, we plan to provide weather-related services from observation data to solution services based on weather forecasts.

Addressing the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, set forth India’s ambitious mission of launching 75 satellites into space, all built by students at Indian universities, on the occasion of the nation’s 75th Independence Day, which is August 15 in the upcoming year.

The ‘75 satellites’ mission to launch student satellites into space was initiated by the Indian Technology Congress Association (ITCA) in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other tech-space organizations.

According to the official website, the objective is to develop 75 student smallsats by 2022 in order to improve the communication efficiency. The initiative was inspired by the prime minister’s ‘Gaganyaan Space mission 2022..

Expressing his views on the importance of a science-based approach for learning, PM Modi said, “Regressive thinking and extremism is increasingly threatening the world. In these circumstances, the entire world will have to make science-based rational and progressive thinking the basis of their development programs.”

Information is courtesy of Hindustan Times

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch the Landsat 9 mission for NASA.

The launch is on track for September 27 from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Launch is planned for 11:11 a.m. PDT. The live launch broadcast starts at 10:30 a.m. PDT on September 27 at www.ulalaunch.com.

Landsat 9 is a joint mission of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In addition to Landsat 9, this mission includes the ESPA Flight System (EFS) that will deploy multiple cubesats after Landsat 9 separation. The Atlas V will deploy the Landsat 9 and the smallsats into two different orbits, enabling the first, four-burn, Centaur mission for ULA on an Atlas V rocket. The Centaur upper stage has the capacity for increased performance, and the flight design of the Landsat 9 mission takes advantage of that capability.

The mission will launch on an Atlas V 401 configuration rocket that includes a 13.7 ft. (4 meters) Extra Extended Payload Fairing (XEPF) and stands 194 ft. (59 meters) tall. The Atlas booster for this mission is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne provided the RL10C-1 engine for the Centaur upper stage.

This will be the 88th launch of the Atlas V rocket and 20th mission launched on an Atlas V in partnership with NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP). This launch is the 300th Atlas launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base. To date, ULA has launched 144 times with 100 percent mission success.

“We are proud to continue to serve as the primary launch provider for Landsat missions. ULA and our heritage launch vehicles have launched every Landsat mission since 1972,” said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. “The Landsat series provides outstanding data for Earth environment and science-based research and Landsat 9 will add to these capabilities. We have worked alongside our partners, in a challenging health environment, to prepare to launch this important mission that will empower Earth research from space for decades to come.”

Argentina’s leading satellite development and operations company, Innova Space, express its intention to use Equatorial Space as the launch service provider (LSP) for its upcoming pico-satellite constellation which will provide internet-of-things (IoT) services globally.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covers up to two launchers per year for the full deployment of Innova’s proposed network of 500g satellites.

“We are beyond excited to help the amazing team at Mar Del Plata deploy their upcoming constellation,” says Simon Gwozdz, the CEO of Equatorial Space, “Our very vision of a safer and more affordable responsive access to each individual orbital plane and inclination is gaining interest, and we are on track to begin revenue services with our Volans launcher by 2023.”

“We are looking forward to collaborate with Equatorial Space and use their innovative solution to put in orbit our future constellation,” says Alejandro Cordero, the CEO of Innova Space, “Our particular interest is their ability to deploy our satellites in their final orbital position, reducing the complexity of the satellite from our side, letting us to maintain our low costs.”

Equatorial Space is developing novel propulsion technologies that reduce the risk and cost of space access by a factor of 50 percent compared to existing chemical rocket propulsion systems. It’s proprietary solid fuel, the HRF-1, was test-flown in Malaysia in December 2020 in the first commercial launch in the history of Southeast Asia.

Based in Mar Del Plata (Argentina), Innova Space designs and develops the future using pico-satellites. Innova Space proposes to change the world with greater IoT connectivity. Their upcoming constellation of about 100 pico-satellites optimized for IoT communications, will provide a low-cost, highly secure, bi-directional connection to any IoT device on Earth in just a few minutes.

RUAG Space has been producing space thermal protection at the firm’s site in Austria for 30 years — technology from RUAG Space now protects more than 400 satellites in space from the heat and cold of the universe.

Thermal insulation from RUAG Space protects most European space satellites from the extreme temperatures in space, such as all of the more than 20 Galileo satellites currently in space, the “European GPS.” Thermal insulation from RUAG Space is also used in other international missions, such as for the Mercury probe of the European-Japanese “BepiColombo” mission, which has been in space since October 2018, or the ESA/NASA sun mission “Solar Orbiter.”

For the growing commercial space market, RUAG Space supplies thermal protection for swarms of smallsats, such as the constellation of the 322 OneWeb telecom satellites currently on-orbit, which brings internet connectivity to remote regions such as the Arctic. RUAG Space also produced the thermal insulation for the constellation of the 80 Iridium NEXT telecom satellites.

At the start of 1991, RUAG Space received its first order for satellite thermal protection for the four satellites of the “Cluster” mission of ESA and NASA (investigation of the Earth’s magnetic field) as well as for the ESA/NASA “SOHO” solar observatory.

Since 1993, thermal insulation from RUAG Space has also been used for insulation tasks in the field of low-temperature technology on Earth, for example in the medical sector (low-temperature insulation for magnetic resonance tomographs) or in the energy sector (insulation for liquid gas tanks). In addition, insulation is used in particle accelerators, such as at CERN in Geneva.

Insulation for launchers In addition to heat protection for satellites, the company has also been developing and producing high-temperature insulation for rockets since 2017, for example for the new European launcher Ariane 6. The high-temperature insulation consists of glass ceramic and Kevlar, a heat-resistant synthetic fiber.

“More than 400 satellites are currently in space, which our thermal dress protects from the heat and cold of the universe, averaging minus 200 and plus 200 degrees Celsius,” said Anders Linder, Senior Vice President Satellites at RUAG Space. The thermal protection consists of several layers of metal-vaporized plastic films, each layer thinner than a hair. On the journey from Earth to space, our insulation has to withstand extreme heat of up to 1,700 degrees Celsius for a few minutes.”

A study from the Ohio State University and its ‘CARMEN’ project (Center for Automated Vehicles Research with Multi-modal Assured Navigation) has stated that SpaceX’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite system could be used as an alternate supplier of a new global positioning system (GPS).

The CARMEN findings, shared at the Institute of Navigation GNSS annual meeting in St. Louis, may therefore, provide a promising alternative to GPS.

The project’s researchers said they did not need assistance from SpaceX and did not have access to any of the data carried by the Starlink fleet, but did use information related to the satellite’s location and movement through space.

The study revealed that by using Starlink’s signals they could pinpoint accuracy to about 7.7 meters. This, however, is not as good as today’s ‘normal’ GPS accuracy which is about 0.3 to 5 meters. However, as the Starlink constellation grows then accuracy would improve.

“We eavesdropped on the signal, and then we designed sophisticated algorithms to pinpoint our location, and we showed that it works with great accuracy,” said Zak Kassas, director at CARMEN. “And even though Starlink wasn’t designed for navigation purposes, we showed that it was possible to learn parts of the system well enough to use it for navigation.”

There’s another key strategic benefit in the potential use of Starlink. Because they are closer to the ground than traditional GPS satellites, they are less likely to be hacked or subject to interference.

The CARMEN work was funded by the US Office of Naval Research, the US Department of Transportation and the (US) National Science Foundation.

Aliena PTE Ltd. (Aliena), a satellite propulsion provider, has signed a contract with Orbital Astronautics Ltd. (OrbAstro), a satellite and on-orbit service provider, to fly its AA Multi-modal, all-electric, AOCS propulsion system onboard an OrbAstro ORB-12 (12U-class satellite) scheduled for launch in September 2022.

The ORB-12 Strider mission will host a variety of payloads for on-orbit testing and demonstration purposes, of which the Aliena-Aurora (AA) propulsion system will be primary.

Aliena has developed a multi-modal attitude and orbit control system (AOCS) with partners from Finland, Aurora Propulsion Technologies. Sharing a common back-end architecture for the propellant, electronic control, and fluidics, the propulsion segment will be comprised of Aliena’s MUlti-Staged Ignition Compact (MUSIC) Hall thruster, and Aurora’s ARM resistojets.

The AA, multi-modal, all-electric, AOCS propulsion system will enable customers with the most demanding of mission requirements to benefit from the low-thrust-high-impulse operations of the MUSIC Hall thruster, as well as the high-thrust-low-impulse mode of operations from the ARM resistojets. This system streamlines the propulsion architecture, allowing for dual mode propulsion in a compact and integrated product for operations in formation flying satellites and advanced operations relying on propulsion as an enabler.

Beyond the AA AOCS payload, OrbAstro will be testing a variety of internally developed subsystems on the satellite, some new and some second or third generation, including:

• Optical transceiver with two-axis precision-steering mechanism for inter-satellite communications, as part of the company’s Guardian Network constellation used for data-relay and autonomous satellite operations
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload utilising Ka-band transmitter with high-gain antenna coupled to a 4GHz bandwidth SDR, piloting a semi-active multi-static SAR mission targeting 10cm resolution 3D imaging
• Onboard AI processing unit (100 billion neurons, 40 trillion synapses) used for Guardian Network satellite and space traffic management service
• Kilowatt-class thermal management system, using phase change heat sink and hybrid deployable solar/radiator panels
• Kilowatt-class long-life electrical power system Compact optical imaging system providing 1-metre ground resolution

“Though we have a variety of 3U- and 6U-class satellites scheduled for launch throughout 2022, this will be our first 12U-class launch. It will serve as a significant milestone, transitioning OrbAstro into the Microsat market,” said Dr. Ash Dove-Jay, CEO of OrbAstro. “We see strong potential for partnership between Aliena and OrbAstro targeting smallsat constellations. This mission serves as a compelling first step.”

“Propulsion systems are key enablers for emerging satellite operations. Current solutions on the market enable certain segments for small spacecrafts, but end-users have to weigh the trade-offs in selecting their systems due to the limitations of certain systems. An integrated AOCS solution from Aurora and Aliena will allow for customers to have an array of propulsion capabilities, in a compact and integrated form-factor for fuss-free deployment,” said Dr. Lim Jian Wei Mark, CEO of Aliena. “We are also proud to be able to work closely with reputable International partners from OrbAstro and Aurora Propulsion Technologies to spearhead growth in the Microsat and Smallsat community. These partnerships cement our longstanding commitment to work with International partners as we continue to add value to companies intending to democratize and commercialize space for the generations to follow.”

Aliena PTE Ltd is a Singapore based space propulsion provider that aims to bring space closer to home for satellite operators and terrestrial businesses. Their novel propulsion systems aim to equip disruptive next-generation satellites with advanced manoeuvring capabilities that can empower satellite operations of tomorrow. A technology spin-off from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Aliena currently operates out of a privately-owned jet propulsion test facility that gives the R&D and manufacturing environment to provide their systems to the most demanding of customers internationally.

Orbital Astronautics Ltd is a United Kingdom and New Zealand based space technology company focused on providing “space as a service”, supporting companies looking to directly utilise satellites for their businesses. Orbital Astronautics is currently maturing a satellite batch production facility targeting constellation markets, and is building its own satellite constellation to provide low-latency access and autonomous operations services for customers satellites.

For nearly 50 years, Landsat satellites have provided the longest continuous global record of Earth’s changing landscapes. With Landsat 9, the mission will continue collecting essential science-quality data on Earth’s forests, farms, cities and freshwater regions. Landsat 9 will join Landsat 8 in orbit, and the two satellites together will collect images of our planet’s landscapes and coastal regions every eight days. Landsat is the only U.S. satellite system designed and operated to repeatedly observe the global land surface at a moderate scale to show both natural and human-induced change.

Landsat 9 is a joint mission of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center manages the mission through launch and post launch checkout and the Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center manages the launch service. USGS operates the satellite and the mission data archive.

In addition to Landsat 9, this mission includes the Landsat 9 ESPA Flight System (EFS) which will deploy multiple CubeSats after Landsat 9 separation. The EFS is a U.S. Space Force activity to demonstrate the capability of integrating and delivering secondary payloads to orbit on an adapter ring. There are four multi-manifest satellites sponsored by the Defense Innovation Unit, Air Force Research Laboratory, Missile Defense Agency and NASA. The NASA CubeSats include the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) from the University of Colorado at Boulder which will measure how near-ultraviolet light from a host star changes when an exoplanet passes in front of it and through a planet’s atmosphere. The Cusp Plasma Imaging Detector (CuPID) from Boston University will measure X-rays emitted when solar wind plasma collides with neutral atoms in Earth’s atmosphere.

Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) has ramped up their commitment to the rapidly growing smallsat market segment by adding three new products to their lineup of space offerings.

The newest additions include Honeywell’s X Band Downlink Transmitter and Optical Communication Terminal (OCT), which enable high-bandwidth data to be transmitted both down to Earth and between satellites. Additionally, Honeywell is debuting a new line of Commercial Series reaction wheel assemblies specifically designed for commercial space satellites.

All three of these new products are intended to serve the small commercial satellite market segment, which has cost and production volume requirements different than traditional space programs. Instead of producing only one satellite that must function for years or decades, these satellites are smaller, have a shorter lifespan, and are often part of a large constellation network composed of dozens or hundreds of satellites.

Though they can perform a variety of tasks, two common uses for satellites are to capture images of Earth and to enable connectivity, or internet service. Honeywell’s new X Band Downlink Transmitter and OCT are designed to handle large amounts of data being transmitted from and between satellites.

Honeywell’s X Band product has been selected by LeoStella for integration on the first three satellites of a constellation that will provide Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services, which will deliver essential information to help operators navigate their satellites safely and manage global “space traffic” on-orbit.

Although both products transmit data, they serve different purposes. Honeywell’s X Band Downlink Transmitter is intended for satellites that transmit information back to the ground. The OCT is similar, but it can handle data rates 10 to 100 times higher than X Band, allowing data to not only be transmitted to the ground but also between satellites in a constellation. This makes it an ideal solution to enable high-speed internet or to connect military satellites in a meshed network with maximum flexibility and speed.

Honeywell is currently accepting orders for its X Band Downlink Transmitter and OCT, with the production release anticipated toward the end of 2021.

Building upon decades of experience developing reaction wheel assemblies (RWAs), Honeywell has launched a new line known as the Honeywell Commercial (HC) Series RWAs. The series consists of the HC7 and HC9 reaction wheels, so named because they are roughly seven and nine inches in diameter. These reaction wheels are designed specifically for smallsats, meaning they have a shorter lifespan and are significantly lower in cost, while still maintaining the high levels of performance.

Reaction wheels are a type of flywheel used primarily to control the attitude of spacecraft or satellites. They use electric motors, which spin the wheels to tilt or point spacecraft using momentum. Essentially, they keep spacecraft still, making them a good option for communications satellites that point at fixed targets on the ground. Honeywell’s Commercial Series reaction wheels completed qualification in Q2 of 2021 with first deliveries anticipated in Q4, and eventual launch into space expected in late 2022.

Today, Honeywell products can be found on more than 1,000 satellites, delivering mission success.

“Think of data like water and our products as the pipeline that carries the water. As image quality and internet speeds increase, the amount of data being sent increases as well,” said Mark Covelli, senior director, Space Strategic Marketing and Sales, Honeywell Aerospace. “Our customers’ satellites need to be equipped with wider ‘pipelines’ to handle the larger amounts of data. These products are specifically designed to meet that need, and our X Band product will help LeoStella’s satellites meet its mission requirements.

“The companies launching and operating small satellites have significantly different requirements than your traditional years- or decades-long space programs. These satellites are orbiting closer to Earth, they’re much smaller, there are significantly more of them and simply put, they don’t need to last for years or decades,” Covelli added. “Honeywell saw a gap in this segment and is now using our expertise in reaction wheels to create a new family of products that meets the needs of customers operating in this new environment.“