It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a CubeSat! With so many small, relatively inexpensive satellites deploying lately from the International Space Station,
it may seem like the area referred to as low-Earth orbit, between 100
and 1,240 miles above the planet, is full of these compact cubes. The
miniature satellites, or CubeSats, conduct research and demonstration missions.
In the span of several weeks, 33 new CubeSats deployed from the space station. The NanoRacks Smallsat Deployment Program
provides commercial access to space, via the space station, for
CubeSats to perform Earth and deep space observation. The 28 Dove
satellites that make up Planet Labs Flock 1
constellation began deploying in early February. Additional NanoRacks
CubeSats released this week. These various CubeSats are conducting Earth
observation missions, testing technologies and even tweeting from
space!
“It’s exciting,” said NanoRacks CEO Jeffrey Manber. “Our company has
been working with NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in
Space (CASIS)
to open the door for commercial pathways to space. This is a really
wonderful time for getting into the commercial utilization of space.”
Commercial opportunities for CubeSats and other research on and off
the space station exist through a public-private partnership enabled by
Congress in which the U.S. portion of the space station was designated a
national laboratory.
This laboratory, managed by CASIS, provides funding avenues for
companies like NanoRacks to open up research and exploration in space
for many more users.
One benefit of deploying CubeSats from the space station compared
with a rocket is increased opportunity for launch thanks to consistent
visits from various cargo resupply vehicles.
Further, the launch condition of space station cargo vehicles is not as
severe as other rocket launches, since the CubeSats are often launched
as part of pressurized cargo. Another benefit is that after these
CubeSats have launched to space, astronauts aboard the orbiting outpost
can perform quality checks on the hardware to ensure the miniature
satellites are not damaged before deploying into space.
“This is the beginning of a new era in space commerce,” said Manber.
“We’re helping our customers get a two-year head start in space. They
don’t have to wait around for a dedicated launch to space but can
instead catch the next rocket to space station.”
One of the new CubeSats deploying through the NanoRacks program is SkyCube, developed by Southern Stars Group LLC
of San Francisco. The primary goal of SkyCube is to “provide cutting
edge outreach and use communications channels that the public use every
day,” explained Tim DeBenedictis, founder and owner of Southern Stars.
SkyCube is the first CubeSat to use a smartphone application to
interact directly with the public. Southern Stars used its expertise in
creating planetarium software to develop an inexpensive, accessible and
easy but fun phone interface to communicate with SkyCube. The smartphone
application, Satellite Safari,
will be used to track SkyCube, provide updates on its mission and tweet
messages from the public. A Twitter handle will communicate exactly
what the satellite is broadcasting from space once it is on orbit.
“We also want to send a positive message to end our mission cleanly,”
said DeBenedictis. To that end, SkyCube will be the first CubeSat to
de-orbit itself using a balloon. The de-orbit of SkyCube will occur 90
days into its mission, when the seven-foot diameter balloon will
inflate. Because of its size, it will be possible to see it with the
naked-eye. Satellite Safari will help direct people where to look in the
sky, with the goal of creating an unforgettable moment to inspire
children and adults alike to become interested in space and the science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
Another CubeSat, ArduSat-2, built and operated by NanoSatisfi of San Francisco, is an improvement upon software and hardware on ArduSat-1,
which deployed from the space station in November 2013. ArduSat-2 also
will use a NanoRacks deployer to send it off on its mission to test
advanced electronics and hardware in the space environment that are only
minimally adapted from their Earth configuration. This will help
determine potential commercial applications for small satellite data
collection and commercial, off-the-shelf electronics. A goal of the
ArduSat-2 mission is to contribute to technological information that
helps lower the cost of space applications that use low-Earth
observation techniques.
Both ArduSat-2 and SkyCube used crowdsourcing
methods for funding to have direct public involvement in their small
satellite missions. “It is the perfect way to test public response,”
said Peter Platzer, founder and CEO of NanoSatisfi. “The response has
been overwhelmingly positive, and we are blown away by the interest in
our ArduSat satellites.”
As ArduSat-2 tests technology to lower the cost of access to space,
NanoSatisfi also seeks to continue small satellite missions that capture
the imagination of students to advance educational space programs and
promote student interest in STEM.
LituanicaSAT-1
and LitSat-1 are two Lithuanian satellites scheduled for release this
month using NanoRacks’ deployers. LituanicaSAT-1 is the first Lithuanian
satellite mission to transmit a Lithuanian message from space.
LituanicaSAT-1 also will conduct technology experiments such as FM voice
repeater operation, taking pictures of Earth and testing various
controllers and sensors in microgravity. The data collected by the small
satellite will be used to asses satellite health, attitude, operational
modes and verify environmental and dynamic simulations used during the
design phase. The downlinked data will be open for public use.
“We want to involve the whole nation,” said Chief Engineer Laurynas
Maciulis. “The first Lithuanian message to be transmitted from space
will be a salutation from the Lithuanian president to all Lithuanians
around the world.” A YouTube channel, a Facebook site,
media outreach and school visits will help connect Lithuanian citizens,
both in their country and abroad, to the historic LituanicaSat-1 event.
LitSat-1 is a technology demonstration to determine satellite
attitude by measuring data from sensors and receivers on the satellite.
The CubeSat is testing technology for a future Lithuanian satellite
mission.
The NanoRacks deployers will also jettison a Peruvian satellite this
month, controlled primarily by students at the Alas Peruanas University
in Lima, Peru. UAPSAT-1 tests the function of electronic design
communication and the implementation of the technology used in
manufacturing the satellite. This satellite will study the impact of
weather-related phenomena on Earth’s surface.
NanoRacks is fully booked with CubeSats on the next Cygnus spacecraft resupply mission from Orbital Sciences Corporation, currently scheduled for May 1. Through collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for use of its Japanese Experiment Module (JEM)
and robotic arm that positions CubeSats for release, a permanent
platform exists for commercial small satellite deployment from the space
station. The companies and educational institutions that take advantage
of this new access to space continue to improve space technology and
inspire new generations in space exploration.
No comments:
Post a Comment