Ass 1 Help 1

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ass-1-help-1 1/24

3rd Responsive Space ConferenceApril 25–28, 2005

Los Angeles, CA

KUTESAT-2, A StudentNanosatellite Mission for TestingRapid-Response Small Satellite

Technologies in Low Earth Orbit

Trevor Sorensen, Glenn Prescott, Marco VillaUniversity of Kansas, Lawrence KS

Dewayne Brown, John HicksNational Nuclear Security Administration, Kansas City

Plant, Kansas City MO

Arthur Edwards, James LykeAir Force Research Laboratory, Albuquerque NM

Thomas George, Sohrab Mobasser, Karl YeeNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA

Scott Tyson

Space Microsystems, Inc.

3rd Responsive Space Conference

RS3-2005-3002

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


1

AIAA-3rd

Responsive Space Conference 2005

AIAA-RS3 2005-3002

KUTESAT-2, A STUDENT NANOSATELLITE MISSION FOR TESTING RAPID-

RESPONSE SMALL SATELLITE TECHNOLOGIES IN LOW EARTH ORBIT1

Trevor Sorensen, Glenn Prescott, Marco VillaUniversity of Kansas, Lawrence KS

Dewayne Brown, John Hicks

National Nuclear Security Administration, Kansas City Plant, Kansas City MO

Arthur Edwards, James Lyke

Air Force Research Laboratory, Albuquerque NM

Thomas George, Sohrab Mobasser, Karl Yee

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA

Scott Tyson

Space Microsystems

ABSTRACT

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)is interested in using nanosats to perform

space experiments, demonstrate new

technology, develop operational systems,and integrate advanced responsive space

system technology. One potentialoperational application of nanosats is using

clusters of microsatellites that operate

cooperatively to perform the function of alarger, single satellite. Each smaller satellite

communicates with the others and shares the

processing, communications, and payload or

mission functions. This type of a distributedsystem has several advantages: (1) system-

level robustness and graceful degradation,

and (2) distributed capabilities for surveillance and science measurements built

into the system architecture. There are a

number of technology advancements neededto operationalize and enable tactical

missions. These advancements include

modular ‘plug-n-play’ satellite architectures

and components; high performance tactical

downlinks; adaptable, agile propulsion

systems, and lean manufacturing, assemblyand test.

The Kansas Universities’ TechnologyEvaluation Satellite (KUTESat) program

originated at the University of Kansas (KU)in 2002. The technical objective of the

program is the development and operation of

miniature satellites that can demonstrate andtest technologies and techniques necessary

to accomplish various government missions.

The first satellite, KUTESat-1 Pathfinder ,

was designed to perform imaging andmeasure radiation from orbit. The design

and construction of this 1-kg satellite helped

KU to develop the capability to produce andoperate small research satellites. Pathfinder

is due for launch in mid-2005.

Nanosats are a rapid and low-cost

technology platform for the space testing of

a broad range of micro-electro-mechanical

systems (MEMS) and nanotechnologies aswell as new mission architectures. The

KUTESat program offers a low-cost1Copyright © 2005 by AIAA 3rd Responsive Space

Conference 2005. All rights reserved.

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


2

AIAA-3rd


solution to the problem of acquiring “space

heritage” for new technologies and concepts.These programs can undertake higher risk

missions that would be otherwise avoided by

more conservative mission planners. Thus

new MEMS and nanotechnologies related toavionics, guidance and control,

communications, imaging, maneuvering,

and instrumentation are offered a rapid andlow-cost approach to space testing that will

help realize a rapid response space force.

The objective of the current program is to

develop and fly a nanosatellite to test

components, technologies, and concepts thatare of use to the AFRL, the National

Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)and the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA), while providing avaluable contribution to the education of

students who will soon be entering the space

workforce.

KU is leading a team consisting of the

NNSA Kansas City Plant, the AFRL, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to

design and execute the KUTESat-2 missionusing a 16-kg nanosatellite based on the

Pathfinder satellite with much commonality

in the avionics and ground system. Themajor technologies to be tested include: a

miniature distributed and adaptive S-band

transceiver; a miniature maneuvering control

system; standardized interface (“plug and play”) electronic modules; various MEMS

technologies, including a single-axis MEMS

gyroscope; a micro sun sensor; an array of miniature dosimeters; and a miniature

imager. New capabilities to be tested include

a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)communication demonstration with the S-

band transceiver, and demonstration of

target inspection capability using a deployed

inflated target. The KUTESat-2 will be prepared for a launch in 2007.

INTRODUCTION

The Kansas Universities’ Technology

Evaluation Satellite (KUTESat) program

originated at the University of Kansas with

the help and support of the KansasUniversity Center for Research and the

Kansas Space Grant Consortium. KUTESat

aims to promote interest in space activitiesat partner universities (e.g., Emporia State

University, Haskell Indian Nations

University, Kansas State University,Pittsburg State University and Wichita State

University), and elementary and secondary

schools in the state. Engineering and other departments of these universities were

contacted at the beginning of the program. Itwas mutually determined that although

collaboration in such an early phase was notfeasible, once the infrastructure is in place,

then it would be possible to team with them.

That is why the first satellite, Pathfinder ,was a project of the University of Kansas

alone. A major goal of the team is to

succeed in the educational aspect, whileaccomplishing missions that will be useful

to the United States government and spaceindustry.

The technical objective of the KUTESat program is the development and operation of

miniature satellites that can demonstrate and

test technologies and techniques necessary

to accomplish various Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA missions.

1Some

of the satellites will be for testing new

technologies for various customers, whileothers will be engineering prototypes of

small probes that could be carried aboard

larger U.S. government spacecraft. The proposed missions of these latter picosats

are to provide an ability to inspect the main

spacecraft or other nearby objects and to

measure the ambient space environmentaway from the influence of the main

spacecraft. The first objective helps in the

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


3

AIAA-3rd


accomplishment of the AFSPC Strategic

Master Plan for ensuring space superiority,while the latter objective will be particularly

useful to both DoD and NASA missions.

Another major objective of the KUTESat

program is to flight-test advancednanotechnology in the form of components

and subsystems (e.g., electronics,

micropropulsion, inertial measurement units,and imagers). These technologies will

enable the development of whole fleets of

miniature responsive spacecraft toaccomplish the DoD objectives in space.

2,3

Flying three picosats together also tests

formation flying, and the command andcontrol of a formation in space.

The core KUTESat program (see Figure 1)

starts with a balloonsat precursor, theKansas University Balloon Experiment

Satellite (KUBESat); the first satellite,

KUTESat-1 ( Pathfinder ); then the current

project, KUTESat-2. From there the

program diverges into two lines. The first isthe MIST mission, which includes the

simultaneous flight of three KUTESats, and

the other is a possible follow-on to

KUTESat-2 which involves a re-dockable

inspector probe. Both these paths can leadtowards operational application in either

DoD or NASA missions.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the KUTESat-2 mission is toflight test new technologies and capabilities

of importance to the Air Force ResearchLaboratory (AFRL), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA) in low Earth orbit.

The major technologies to be tested willinclude: a miniature programmable,

distributed and adaptive S-band transceiver;

Figure 1. KUTESat Program

-1KUTESat

Pathfinder

Prototype

(KC-135)

MMCSPrototype

PrecursorsKUBESat

2006

NASA Missions

DoDMissions

2005

KUTESat-2

• DOE S-band

Transceiver

• Imager

• Dosimeters

• MEMS

• Inflatable target

• MMCS

KUTESat-3

OR

MIST

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

-1KUTESat

Pathfinder

KUTESat

Pathfinder

Prototype

(KC-135)

MMCSPrototypePrototype

(KC-135)

MMCSPrototype

PrecursorsKUBESatPrecursorsKUBESat

20062006

NASA MissionsNASA Missions

DoDMissionsDoDMissions

20052005

KUTESat-2

• DOE S-band

Transceiver

• Imager

• Dosimeters

• MEMS

• Inflatable target

• MMCS

KUTESat-3

OR

MIST

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


4

AIAA-3rd


a miniature maneuvering control system;

standardized interface (“plug and play”)electronic modules; various MEMS

technologies, including a single-axis MEMS

gyroscope; and a miniature imager. New

capabilities to be tested include a Trackingand Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)

communication demonstration with the

miniature S-band tranceiver, anddemonstration of target inspection capability

using a deployed inflated target.

The mission objectives are divided into

primary and secondary objectives.

Primary Objectives1. Promote and sustain research and

education focused on small satellites andrelated technologies.

2. Demonstrate the ability of theUniversity of Kansas to design,

fabricate, integrate, test, and operate a

nanosatellite of less than 30 kg in mass.3. Flight test and demonstrate technologies

that will be of use to the AFRL, NNSA,

and NASA.4. Train and educate future space

professionals that will enter theworkforce.

Secondary Objectives

5. Foster research in enabling technologiesfor nanosats.

6. Design of experiments that can be

performed by nanosats in orbit.

7. Engage young people at all schoollevels to foster an interest in space,

mathematics, and science.

To fulfill these objectives the University of

Kansas (KU) is leading a team which will

design, build, test and operate a nanosatelliteof less than 30 kg mass that will be flown in

low Earth orbit (LEO). The KU team is

experienced in small satellite development,

having just built a 1-kg satellite, KUTESat-1( Pathfinder ), which is scheduled for launch

in mid-2005. KUTESat-2 will be a 3-axis

stabilized test platform for the technology

payloads being provided by the KUTESat-2team members (NNAS KCP, AFRL, and

NASA JPL). KUTESat-2 will be ready for

launch in 2007.

Successful completion of the KUTESat-2

objectives will demonstrate the capabilities

of a miniature S-band transceiver that would be suitable for multiple applications for

DoD, NNSA, and NASA. This transceiver

has greater flexibility than other comparabletransceivers, being able to have its key

characteristics, including frequencies,

modulation, power output, etc.reprogrammed in flight. This would be a key

technology for a rapid response space force.By demonstrating Tracking and Data Relay

Satellite (TDRS) compatibility, the S-bandtransceiver will become suitable for even

more missions. Another goal of the mission

involving the S-band transceiver is toconduct an experiment to demonstrate the

ability to have an S-band transmitter “black

box” that could instantly and autonomouslyreport through a TDRS satellite a major

incident affecting the satellite operation - aso called “dial 911” capability.

Other objectives of the KUTESat-2 missioninclude testing various new MEMS

components, such as a miniature gyroscope

and a micro sun sensor. These components

could dramatically increase the capabilitiesof nanosatellites, by providing the

performance of much larger units that are

too big for use on small satellites. A “plugand play” capability being demonstrated on

KUTESat-2 will advance technology

towards development of a rapid responsespace force. A goal of both DoD and NASA

is to have the capability to have miniature

inspection spacecraft that can maneuver

around and inspect using various sensorsanother spacecraft or object. The KUTESat-

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


5

AIAA-3rd


2 mission will take a step towards

developing this capability.

BACKGROUND

KUTESat ProgramThe KUTESat program originated at the

University of Kansas in 2002 with the help

and support of the Kansas University Center for Research and the Kansas Space Grant

Consortium. KUTESat aims to promote

interest in space activities at partner universities and elementary and secondary

schools in the state. A major goal of the

team is to succeed in the educational aspect,while accomplishing missions that will be

useful to the United States government andspace industry.

The technical objective of the KUTESat

program is the development and operation of

small pico- and nano-satellites that candemonstrate and test technologies and

techniques necessary to accomplish various

DoD and NASA missions. Some of thesatellites will test new technologies for

various customers, while others will beengineering prototypes of small probes that

could be carried aboard larger U.S.

government spacecraft. The proposedmissions of these latter picosats are to

provide an ability to inspect the main

spacecraft or other nearby objects and to

measure the ambient space environmentaway from the influence of the main

spacecraft. The first objective aids in the

accomplishment of the AFSPC StrategicMaster Plan for ensuring space superiority,

while the latter objective will be particularly

useful to both DoD and NASA missions.

Another major objective of the KUTESat

program is to flight-test advanced

nanotechnologies in the form of componentsand subsystems (e.g., electronics,

micropropulsion, inertial measurement units,

and imagers). These technologies will

enable the development of fleets of miniature spacecraft to accomplish the DoD

and NASA objectives in space.

The KUTESat Program as currentlyimplemented is designed to develop and

flight test pico-satellites (<2 kg mass) or

nano-satellites (< 30 kg) to evaluate variousminiature technologies in orbital test flights

while providing invaluable educational

benefits for students. The first satellite, Pathfinder , was designed to establish the

capability at the University of Kansas to

design, build, test, and operate pico-satellites(picosats). Pathfinder has been delivered to

the launch integrator and is scheduled to belaunched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, in

mid-2005.

Kansas University Balloon Experiment

SatellitesIn Spring 2003 KU started a high altitude

balloon program, initially as a collaboration

between the Aerospace Engineering (AE)and Electrical Engineering and Computer

Science (EECS) senior design classes; the

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


7

AIAA-3rd


satellite, as well as testing some of the

technologies that will be used in the later KUTESat satellites. The Pathfinder (Fig. 3)

uses a HAM transmitter and receiver to

provide communication with the ground. Its

baselined payload consists of four dosimeters and a digital imager. It has solar

cells for primary power as well as secondary

lithium-ion batteries. A 3-axismagnetometer and sun sensors was

baselined for attitude determination, and

magnetic torque coils for 3-axis attitudecontrol. Experience, skills, and tools

obtained during this development project

will help the KUTESat team to develop themore advanced KUTESat-2 satellite. It is

also intended to use the operation of the Pathfinder to gain operations and ground

support experience needed for theKUTESat-2 mission.

KUTESAT-2 TEAM

The roles and responsibilities of themembers of the KUTESat-2 team are shown

in Table 1.

Table 1. KUTESat-2 Team Roles and

Responsibilities

ORGANIZATION ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

University of Kansas

- Project management

- Satellite bus design, fabrication,

integration and test

- Imager, dosimeter radfet array

and MMCS payloads

- Inflatable target and deploymentsystem

- Ground segment and mission

operations

DOE NNSA Kansas CityPlant

- S-band transceiver subsystem(including TDRS experiment)

- Ground station equipment tosupport S-band

- Test facilities- Technical support

Air Force ResearchLaboratory - “Plug and play” experiments- Technical support

NASA Jet Propulsion

Laboratory

- MEMS single-axis gyro

- Miniature sun sensor

- Technical support

THE KUTESAT-2 SATELLITE

The KUTESat-2 satellite will be 3-axisstabilized and able to perform imaging of

the Earth and other targets. The operational

life for the satellite will be at least two years,

with a design life of three years.

Payload Description

S-Band Transceiver The Plug and Play (PnP) Transceiver

(Figure 4) is a Flexible Wireless Network

Transceiver with a USB and or Spacewire

interface enabling PnP wireless network communication data link capabilities on a

satellite interface bus. A PnP satellite

interface facilitates rapid connectivity, self organization, arbitrary order and any

quantity or topology between satellite

subsystems. This enables rapid interchange,

assembly, integration, calibration, andoperation of a satellite system and its

payloads.13

The Flexible Wireless Network Transceiver

(FNT) is a modular, scalable, softwareconfigurable microwave transceiver, that

can transmit and receive data across a

mobile wireless channel with other transceivers collectively forming a network.

Figure 4. KCP S-band Transceiver

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


8

AIAA-3rd


It has a Flexible Network Processor (FNP)

comprising a layered network service stack,a medium access controller (MAC), and a

physical layer interface. The FNP enables

wireless network communication between a

networked station application and thewireless network channel. The FNT also

includes a physical layer that is scalable in

terms of frequency, data rates, RF power,and signal waveforms. The physical layer

includes phased array antenna technology

enabling beam forming and steeringresulting in management of wireless channel

spatial capabilities.

The PnP interface is based upon USB and

Spacewire standards that define the physical,data, network, and transport protocols

between the satellite interface bus and theFNT. The PnP network service stack, MAC,

and physical layer interface can be

integrated into the FNP to form a dualnetwork service software and hardware

stack that serves to translate between the

two protocols. The FNP also defines the protocols which enable the satellite bus to

register, synchronize, and exchange data payloads within a collection of globally

distributed wireless nodes in space, air, sea,

or ground nodes. Information assurance interms of encryption, anti-intrusion, anti-jam,

are embedded within the flexible network

processor enabling reliable, secure, wireless

connectivity and interoperability betweenglobal distributed space, air, sea, and ground

assets. The compact size and scalable

architecture of the FNT enables on orbitmanagement of frequency, transmit range,

S/N, modulation, bandwidth, data rate, and

beam steering of the transmit and receivedwaveforms.

The Flexible Data Transmitter (FDT)

functions to modulate an S-band carrier withinput digital data stream and amplifies the

power of this signal so that it can be

transmitted across a wireless channel. The

FDT is based on a modular baseband programmable signal processor, and

microware signal processors. The baseband

waveform processor can accommodate

numerous modulation, waveshaping filters,signal synthesizers, etc. leading to a plethora

of signal types. The modular frequency

upconverter with a programmable carrier synthesizer enables operation in a range of

frequency channels. The modular power

amplifier driver with a programmable gaininterface and modular output power stages

enables a broad range of dynamic link

margins. The phased array antenna withdynamic beam forming and steering enables

a range of sweeping, tracking, or gaincontrol capabilities. The FDT has not yet

been miniaturized, but currently occupiesapproximately 164 cubic cm and weighs

approximately 110 gm.

The Flexible Data Receiver (FDR) functions

to amplify weak S-band signals from a

wireless channel and to frequency translateand demodulate the original data stream.

The FDR is based on a modular programmable signal processor and

microwave signal processors. The low noise

amplifier and RF downconverter sectionsare capable of variable filter and amplifier

gains. The downconversion mixer is driven

by a programmable carrier synthesizer

enabling operation in a range of frequency bands. A modular IF section enables a

number of external and or internal

demodulators and waveform digitizers. Themodular baseband programmable signal

processor is capable of digitizing,

synchronizing, filtering, and extracting data bits from modulated IF signals. It

reconstructs the original data stream with a

synchronous clock. The FTR has not yet

been miniaturized, but currently occupiesapproximately 164 cubic cm and weighs

approximately110 gm.

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


9

AIAA-3rd


The Phased Array Antenna (PAA) is based

on an array of microwave patch antennas,RF signal processing, beam steering

networks, and digital control processors.

The antenna can operate manually with open

loop control for beam pointing or canoperate automatically with closed loop

control for tracking moving targets. The

PAA occupies approximately 20.3 x 56 x 5cm and weighs less than 1.4 kg.

TDRS Experiment - This experiment will

demonstrate an "emergency 911"

capability, which amounts to a real-timenotification of high-priority events through

the existing NASA TDRS constellation.

This capability will be useful for spaceassets to immediately report an attack or

major satellite disruption to the ground byusing a miniature S-band beacon with omni

antennas at a low data rate (e.g., 1 kbps).

By being very small and cheap these

emergency beacons could be added to allnew satellites entering the fleet. These

black boxes could buffer critical data that

would be transmitted upon triggering of thesystem. Severing the plug-and-play

umbilical or failing to reset an internal

watch-dog timer would trigger the black box. While it is not recommended that this

satellite be destroyed to "prove the point", it

would be straightforward to engineer adisruption of power to the black box to

demonstrate a "simulated catastrophe". A

special "normal shutdown command" could

be used if power actually needs to beremoved in normal operation to prevent

false triggers.

Imager

The camera module of the KUTESat-2 will

be a low power, high-resolution cameradeveloped for embedded applications. The

camera will combine a CMOS image sensor,

an image processor and a high-quality lens

in the same package. The module shouldhave capability to be configured and should

be able to compress the images for an easy

and fast transmission. Dimensions shouldnot exceed 10mm x 10mm x 10mm and the

weight should not be above 20 grams. It

should be able to operate in normal and low

power modes, with a maximum power required not to exceed 100mW. Particular

attention will be devoted to the choice of the

field of view, focus distance and focalnumber. The camera should be easy to

access, configure and optimize. The team

will build on the experience gainedinterfacing the camera module on

Pathfinder .

Dosimeter Radfet Array

The dosimeters baselined to fly on boardKUTESat-2 are the 400nm Gate Oxide Solid

State Dosimeter RADiation Field EffectTransistor (RADFET) designed and

produced by the National Microelectronics

Research Centre, University College Cork,Ireland.

The RADFETs are smaller than any other dosimeter available on the market, and are

being used on the Pathfinder satellite, whichwill increase the probability of success of

this science experiment. RADFETs work on

the principle that when they are exposed to aionizing radiation, electrons and holes are

generated in the device. Applying a positive

bias to the gate, it is possible to attract those

carriers, hence changing the amount of positive charges in the oxide part of the

device. Because of this the device is harder

to access, e.g. needs more voltage. Themeasure of these different voltages allows

the absorbed dose to be measured.

RADFETs have the standard dimensions of a 14-pin DIP package (1.9 cm x 0.79 cm)

and a weight of 2 grams. The RADFETs

change their properties when exposed to

radiations. A frequent measurement of theoutput voltage allows a reading of the total

dose to which it has been exposed. The post

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


11

AIAA-3rd


The generic sub-experiment design includes

a standard module frame (12.7 x 12.7 x 1.3cm) and a small micro-computer, referred to

as point-of-application controller (POAC).

The design of the POAC, shown in Fig. 7, is

a compact (10 gram, 3.8 x 2.54 x 0.64 cm) bundling of the hardware and software

necessary to interface sub-experiments to

the plug-and-play network. POAC is based

on the advanced instrument controller (AIC)developed for the Mars Deep Space II

mission. Application code for accommodating messaging and serviceregistration are pre-written and easily

modified to promote rapid integration.

Chalcogenide RAM (CRAM)

Subexperiment The CRAM sub-experiment is designed to instrument up to

eight chalcogenide memory clusters (each

cluster containing one or more CRAMdevices), exercised by a service FPGA

connected to a POAC (see Fig. 8). The purpose of the CRAM sub-experiment is to

obtain information about CRAM operationin a relevant space environment. Data are

generated through the repetitive

presentation of test vectors, and data arereduced within the experiment itself to

minimize the creation of dense telemetry.

Several operating and troubleshooting

modes will be designed into the CRAMsub-experiment to permit routine pattern

generation and more detailed retention

performance measurements and statistics to

be generated. If necessary, the serviceFPGA can be reprogrammed in situ if new

test protocols need to be tried after launch.Several simple 64K CRAM test samples are

currently available, and these test samples

will be upgraded with larger components as

they become available.

Adaptive Wiring Manifold (AWM)

Subexperiment The beginnings of theadaptive wiring manifold, eventually to

become a fullscale wiring harness, are

captured by array of simple switch devices

Gen 0 Point of Application

Controller (POAC) Node

TBD

Connector STD USB

USB

I/F

Ckt

IPPS SYNC

+28V

POAC

DHS

Reg.

3.3VDC

Switched28V

DIGITAL I/O (16)

+28RET

SINGLE

POINT

GROUND

XTEDS

SRAM

NVRAM

AnalogFunction

CircuitDACS(2)

A/D (16)

RS-422 Conv.

Ctrl

Jumper

Area

DIGITAL GND

A GND

X 28V

X 28 RET

X +3.3V

X 3.3V RET

SPORT (2)

CLK

1-8

9

10-25

26-41

42-43

44

45-48

49-52

53-5455-56

MISC CTRL (4) 57-60

61

626364

6566

6768

69

Galvanic

Isolation?

C R A M 1

Service/Instrumentation

FPGA (Xilinx V2Pro)

C R A M 2

C R A M 3

C R A M 4

C R A M 5

C R A M 6

C R A M 7

C R A M 8

P o i n t o f A p p l i c a t i o n

C o n t r o l l e r

SPA

Connector

Figure 7. Point-Of-Application Controller,

Standard Inclusion For Pnp Sub-

Experiments

Figure 9. AWM Sub-experiment

Figure 8. CRAM Sub-experiment

Service/Instrumentation

FPGA (Xilinx V2Pro)

P o i n t o f A p p l i c a t i o n

C o n t r o l l e r

SPA

Connector Test

Stimulus

Test

Stimulus

Switchbox ASIC (ATK/MRC

under AFRL Support)

MagFusion(ex.)Switch

Other MEMS

Switches

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


12

AIAA-3rd


(i.e., bistable latching MEMS relays), a

control ASIC, and continuitymeasurements. These concepts are

compactly bundled in the AWM sub-

experiment, shown in Fig. 9.

The purpose of the AWM sub-experiment is

to examine the feasibility of reconfigurable

wiring structures in a functioning spacesystem. The promise of AWM is to

dramatically reduce development time in the

development of future spacecraft. Itcurrently may take up to eight months to

construct a wiring harness for a complex

spacecraft. With AWM, this time is reducedto minutes. In the same way that FPGAs

programmably connect gates together in pre- built silicon, the AWM can programmably

connect modules in a spacecraft. The AWMsubexperiment is only a portion of a future

AWM, but contains all representative

elements. Up to 10 pairs of MEMS relaysare combined into a switchbox assembly,

controlled by a design-hardened ASIC to

control the MEMS switches and provide thecorrect drive voltages and timing for

actuation. The switchbox is mounted onto asubstrate within the compact experiment,

connected to continuity probes. The service

FPGA exercises the miniature wiring systemand can measure the continuity of the switch

ensemble over the life of the satellite

mission.

Single-Axis MEMS Gyroscope

The JPL/Boeing post-resonator gyroscope

(PRG) is a compact, low power, vibratory,MEMS gyroscope (Fig. 10). The

performance of this device is roughly an

order of magnitude better than that of other competing MEMS-based gyroscopes, and is

comparable in performance to optical

gyroscopes. The PRG consists of a Coriolis

force coupled pyrex post, anodically bondedto a resonating silicon micromachined plate.

Currently, the PRG has been constructed

using discrete, bipolar electronics on printed

circuit boards mounted on an Aluminum

structural frame. The volume of the packaged device shown is 2.5 in³, its mass is

150 grams, and it consumes less than 2 W of power. The performance metrics are: 0.1deg/hr bias stability, and 0.008 deg/rt-hr

ARW. This device is at a TRL 4 level of

maturity.

Miniature Maneuvering Control SystemAn essential part of an miniature inspector

spacecraft (probe) is a means to maneuver

around the target being inspected. The

purpose of this experiment is to design,

develop, and test a miniature maneuveringcontrol system (MMCS) suitable in use in

nano- and micro-satellites. Candidates for the MMCS include cold gas thruster systems

and the vaporizing liquid microthrusters

(VLM) being developed at NASA JPL. Dueto some technical problems that have arisen

with the VLM, we are currently baselining a

cold gas thruster system for KUTESat-2.

The prototype of such a system is being planned for construction and testing on

NASA KC-135 microgravity flights in July2005 by a KU undergraduate team. A teamled by a graduate student will then use the

flight results to design, build and test the

MMCS for KUTESat-2. Although cold gasthrusters generally have a low specific

impulse (30 - 70 sec.), the performance

should be adequate for the planned

Figure 10. Single-axis MEMS Gyroscope

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


13

AIAA-3rd


inspection of the inflated target during the

KUTESat-2 mission.

Deployable Inflated Target

This purpose of this experiment is to

demonstrate the ability of the satellite toacquire, track and maneuver around a

nearby visual target. The target in this case

will be a small inflatable vehicle that will bedeployed from KUTESat-2 at the beginning

of the experiment (Fig. 11). A small tank of

compressed gas (e.g., helium) inside the

satellite bus will provide the pressurant. Asmall RF homing beacon transmitter will be

included in the valve housing of the target to

provide a bearing to the target when there isno visual contact using the imager. The

KUTESat-2 will autonomously maneuver

around the target as long as possible duringground contacts. This will demonstrate some

capabilities necessary for a planned

inspection satellite being planned by KU.The inflatable balloon and deployment

system will be tested using a KUBESat,

which will test the system under the near

space conditions of about 30 km altitude.The target and deployment system is being

developed by Wichita State University

under contract to KU. The funding for this is being provided by a NASA EPSCoR award

that coincides with the period of the

KUTESat-2 project.

Micro Sun Sensor

The Micro Sun Sensor (MSS) is essentiallya pinhole camera with an F/# ~30 and

multiple pinholes (Fig. 12a). It consists of two key components: 1) a Micro Electro

Mechanical Systems (MEMS) based mask and 2) a “camera on a chip” APS image

detector. The high-resolution multi aperture

mask is placed close to the image detector.The concept is shown in Figure 12a. The

gray spots on the bottom plate (the focal

plane) indicate the images of the sun formed

by individual apertures on the top plate. The

He-Inflated Balloon

Transmitter Battery

Valves

Compressed

He Tank

Satellite Bus

Deployment

Port

He-Inflated Balloon

Transmitter Battery

Valves

Compressed

He Tank

Satellite Bus

Deployment

Port

Focal Plane

Mask

Apertures

Figure 12b. The Micro Sun Sensor

Figure 11. Deployable Inflated Target Subsystem

Figure 12a. The Micro Sun Sensor Concept

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


14

AIAA-3rd


MSS utilizes a special “camera on a chip”

image detector. All camera functions such as photosensitive pixels, A/D converter and

control logic are implemented on the die.

The sun angles in two orthogonal axes can

be derived by determining the location of the sun images on the focal plane.

The MEMS mask and the image detector is packaged into a small aluminum box

including a connector. The image detector

die is mounted directly to a PCB using “chipon board” technology. The assembly is show

in Figure 12b. It has a mass of 11 gm, uses

30 mW power, FOV is 160º, and itsaccuracy (1σ, 1 axis) is < 1 arcminute.

Satellite Bus Description

OverviewKUTESat-2 will develop on the experience

gained by the KU team during the design,

construction and testing of the first missionof the KUTESat program: Pathfinder . The

satellite will include a double

communication system: a HAM transmitter and receiver to provide regular

communication with the ground station, andan S-Band transceiver system for high data

transfer. It will have solar cells for primary

power as well as secondary batteries. Amagnetometer, sun sensors and temperature

sensors will be used for attitude

determination, and magnetic torque coils

will be used for attitude control. The satellitewill carry numerous payloads, which will be

operated by a central microcontroller, as

well as by dedicated programmable integratecircuits (PICs). When possible, only

components able to withstand harsh

environment (low/high temperatures,radiation) will be chosen.

Subsystems

Structures & Mechanisms - KUTESat-2 bus will derive from the one used for the Pathfinder spacecraft to support a total

weight of approx 15-20 Kg. It will be a

standard regular-shaped monocoquestructure made of aluminum. Different shape

possibilities will be explored to match the

launch provider requirements of structural

rigidity and strength. Accessibility andmodularity will be two of the main

requisites that will be considered during the

design. The design should not includetypical deployables such as solar panels, but

the option must be considered in order to

meet the power requirements.

Electrical Power Subsystem - The

Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) will bean uprated and enhanced version of the one

used on Pathfinder . It will be able to providedifferent levels of power (different

voltages), which will be organized ondifferent buses to facilitate the different

levels of priority of the subsystems during

the mission. The primary source of power will be triple-junction Gallium-Arsenide

solar cells with a minimum efficiency of

25%. The secondary power source will beLithium-Ion batteries, which will be

packaged to provide enough capacity tosustain every operation and provide enough

power to the payloads. The software on the

power board will provide a level of management that will regulate the use of the

components to obtain maximum efficiency.

Attitude Determination and Control

Subsystem - The Attitude Determination

and Control Subsystem (ADCS) will

provide attitude determination throughinformation obtained from temperature

sensors, 3-axis magnetometer, miniaturized

sun-sensors and a single axis MEMS gyro,the latter two provided by JPL as payloads.

The KU team will already have experience

with attitude determination with the Pathfinder satellite, and will leverage on thisknowledge to improve and deliver a very

accurate system.

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


15

AIAA-3rd


The control of the satellite will be doneusing three magnetic torquer coils set along

the satellite body axes. This system was

baselined for use on Pathfinder for attitude

control. Attitude control will also be provided by the MMCS (see Section 3.1.8)

that is now being developed by a team at

KU.

Command, Telemetry and Data Handling

Subsystem - The Command, Telemetry andData Handling Subsystem (CT&DH)

subsystem will be designed around a

µcDimm. This selected microprocessor willhave to offer a flexible design with great

interface capability. It will have a goodamount of memory (SDRam and Flash) andwill have a minimum speed of 33Mhz.

Linux will be the operative system. PICs

will be placed in some boards to handlelocal tasks, but the main operations will

always be handled by the microcontroller. A

watchdog, or a secondary PIC will beinstalled on the CT&DH board to provide

remedy to possible single event upsets

(SEUs) or latchups (SELs).

Most of the software required has already been developed during the Pathfinder

mission. Nonetheless, it will be reviewed

and upgraded, and additional modules will

be implemented to handle the payloadsoperations. Data handler, health monitoring,

telemetry multicast, orbit library are some of

the applications that will be included in thesatellite software.

Thermal Control Subsystem - TheThermal Control Subsystem (TCS) will be

semi-active. It will have an array of

temperature sensors located inside thesatellite, and will have dedicated heaters to

provide the necessary heat to some

components, such as batteries and

microcontroller.

Communications Subsystem -Communication with the ground will be

possible principally through the Amateur

Radio Frequencies. Two separate

frequencies will be allocated for the two-way communication. This radio band has

been chosen for its proven reliability and

because it can tap into a very big network of ground stations scattered everywhere on

Earth. There will be a communication board,

which will be the interface between theTNC-Radio-antenna system and the

CT&DH, which will ultimately manage the

communications. There will be the possibility to operate in a beaconing mode,

with which the power consumption will beheld to minimum and there will still be

transmission of important telemetry data.KUTESat-2 will also have a S-Band

transceiver, provided by KCP, which will be

used to transmit payloads data, such as pictures or short movies. The satellite will

have a dipole antenna and a S-Band antenna.

Mass and Power Budgets

The mass budget was estimated to be 16.5kg total using a 25% margin. This was based

on the payload mass given by the payload

providers and the subsystems based on the Pathfinder mass budget (using a

multiplication factor of two except for the

structure and EPS which have to be

substantially upgraded). The power budgetwas calculated to be between 5 W

(minimum operational) and 50 W

(maximum peak).

GROUND SEGMENT

Ground Station and Mission Operations

Center

One of the main objectives of the KUTESat

program is the development of a completemission control center and tracking station

located at the University of Kansas.

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


16

AIAA-3rd


Although simple amateur-radio antenna and

communications equipment should besufficient for the KUTESat-1 Pathfinder

mission, the KUTESat-2 mission will

require a full tracking ground station, which

will then be available also to support futurespace missions. Such a ground station could

also be available for use supporting other

DoD or NASA satellites and would be theonly one of its kind within a radius of over

200 miles.

For the KUTESat-2 mission the primary

communication mode will be with the HAM

(UHF/VHF) radio system developed for the Pathfinder mission, at least until the S-band

system has been tested and declaredoperational. The mission Ground Station

(GS) and Mission Operations Center (MOC)will be located in a dedicated facility in an

existing building at the University of

Kansas. The center will be a simple, lowcost automated facility that will establish a

permanent spacecraft control center at KU.

Since the ground station will be operating24/7, computers have to be stable and

reliable. A workstation with anuninterrupted power supply (UPS) system

will be the ground station controller. Linux

will be the native operating system of thecomputers. The on-site operations will

include satellite and payload operations as

well as orbit maintenance and event

planning. All payload data Level 0 processing will occur in the MOC and then

made available to principal investigators,

students and the general public (whereappropriate) through the Internet.

Facilities and Equipment

Throughout the KUTESat-2 project, the

team will use facilities already available at

the University of Kansas. Several

engineering departments have alreadyoffered the use of their equipment for the

satellite testing. The Mechanical

Engineering Department has vibration

testing equipment that will be used to perform shock vibration, random vibration

and modal analysis on the satellite. This

vibration table has just been updated and has

proven to be sufficient for the testing thatthe team will have to perform.

The Aerospace Engineering Department hasavailable equipment that may be used to

perform the acoustic testing. The structure

subsystem team will perform a high-temperature testing, “baking” every

component and thus meeting the

requirements for “outgassing” the satellitematerials.

The AE Department is attempting to obtain

a thermal vacuum chamber suitable for testing KUTESat-2 either through funding

on another satellite program or as

Government furnished equipment (GFE).However, even if the department is

unsuccessful in obtaining a chamber, KCP

has a thermal vacuum chamber which can beused. It was used for testing the HABS-1

balloonsat and for testing the Pathfinder satellite.

The KUTESat Program has a laboratory andworkroom located in the ITTC building at

KU to design, build and test the electronic

components. KU intends to purchase solar

simulation equipment if possible using other funding, which would become an important

testing center for the numerous space-related

projects developed in Kansas and in theentire Midwest and Central United States. In

addition to the facilities mentioned, the

AFRL (Kirtland AFB), allows academicinstitutions to use its facilities for research

purposes.

The construction and assembly of thesatellite structure and components will be

done at the KUTESat project area in Nichols

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


17

AIAA-3rd


Hall at the University of Kansas, where a

machining shop and an electronics shop areavailable. The final integration of the

satellites will take place in a clean room that

will be in the new Special Research Projects

building being constructed at KU and readyfor occupancy by early 2006. The clean

room will have its own controlled

environment and dedicated desktops to runthe necessary tests and monitor the satellite

health.

OPERATIONS CONCEPT

The KUTESat team believes in the concept

of operations engineering. This means thatthe graduate student in charge of operations

will be involved with all aspects of thedesign and testing of the satellite to ensure

its operability and to transfer knowledge tothe flight operations team (FOT). The

experience gained from operating the Pathfinder satellite will be invaluable to theFOT.

Initially the contacts with the satellite willhave personnel in the MOC. However,

KUTESat-2 will be designed for autonomous contacts with the ground station

(“lights out” operations). Nominal

operations will consist of at least one contacta day with the MOC manned, but additional

contacts may be autonomous. During each

contact, both manned and autonomous, once

lock is established with the satellite, storedstate-of-health (SOH) and payload data will

be downlinked. The system will have a

paging capability so that the operationsmanager can be paged using a text pager if

any real-time SOH parameters are out of

limits. The text page will inform themanager of the parameter in question - its

value and the limit, so that appropriate

action can be taken. The FOT will on a

regular basis examine, trend, and analyze theSOH data to determine the satellite’s health

status. Command loads will be prepared and

tested, then stored at the ground station for

automatic (or manual) uplink to the satelliteduring a contact. Downlinked payload data

will undergo Level 0 processing and then be

shipped to the respective users via the

internet.

The major payload of KUTESat-2 is the S-

band transceiver. It will undergo a series of tests from the ground station under the

supervision of the KCP engineers. These

tests will have been previously done whenthe transceiver was flown in the KUBESat.

For the scheduled TDRS test, the S-band

will be configured in TDRS mode, and thenwhile in contact with the ground station, the

satellite will be maneuvered, if necessary, to point the antenna in the direction of the

TDRS satellites in geostationary orbits. Thecommunications tests will be executed, and

then the satellite will be returned to nominal

state before loss of signal (LOS).

The most complicated experiment will be

the one using the deployable inflated balloontarget to test the maneuvering system and

inspection capabilities. The MMCS will betested prior to the target experiment to

ensure it will operate as expected. The

balloon experiment will be conducted whenthere is a series of high elevation passes at

the ground station. The balloon target will

be inflated during one of the first contacts

with the ground, but not released. During thenext pass, the balloon target will be released

and the satellite will point the camera to lock

onto the target. During the third pass (withmaximum elevation), the autonomous

maneuvering sequence will be started.

Imagery of the test will be stored so thateven when not in contact with the ground,

the test can be observed after the data are

downlinked.

It is expected that the onboard imager will

be used for taking images of the Earth and

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


18

AIAA-3rd


Moon as well as the target balloon. When

the S-band is available, several images or video can be downlinked during a contact,

while it will take several contacts to

downlink an image using the primary HAM

communication system.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project Architecture

KU will be the hub of the KUTESat-2

system architecture (see Fig. 13), beingresponsible for the coordination of the team,

project management, satellite design,

fabrication and testing; integration of the payloads; and mission operations. The

KUTESat-2 system is divided into four main

elements: space segment, ground segment,launch system, and users (payload providers

and investigators). The space segment

consists of the KUTESat-2 satellite, whichin turn is comprised of the spacecraft bus

and the payload, including the deployable

target. The ground segment consists of the project management, satellite integration

and test facility, mission operations center

(and mission operations), and the satellite

tracking ground station. The launch systemincludes the integration of the satellite with

the launch vehicle and support during launch

operations. The users are KU, KCP, AFRL,and JPL, who will provide the payloads and

use the data returned. The latter three users

will also provide technical support to KUduring the project and mission. Once

inserted into LEO orbit, the satellite will

communicate using HAM UHF andeventually S-Band radio frequencies. KCP

will provide the technical support to set up

the S-Band ground station and to conductthe communication tests with TDRS.

Figure 13. KUTESat-2 System Architecture

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


19

AIAA-3rd


Organization

The organization to be used in thedevelopment of the KUTESat-2 Mission

will be typical for small satellite

development. There will be a principal

investigator (Dr. Trevor Sorensen) and a co-investigator (Dr. Glenn Prescott) who will

act as advisors. The program manager, under

the PI and the co-I, will be a post-doctoralstudent who is now pursuing a Doctor of

Engineering (D.E.) degree. He has been

chosen since he currently is the projectmanager for the KUTESat-1 ( Pathfinder )

mission and will be able to give continuity

to the KUTESat-2 team effort. TheKUTESat Program also has the benefit of an

expert advisor, Stan Sneegas, LtCol, USAF(ret.).

Fig. 14 shows the organization chart of the

KU personnel. Under the leadership of theProject Manager, there will be three major

functional groups: Electronics, which is

comprised of avionics and communications

(both space and ground segments);Mechanical, which includes the satellite

structures and mechanisms; and Mission

Operations. Each subsystem will have aGraduate Research Assistant (GRA)

assigned to it. In addition to the KU

personnel shown, each agency providing payload and technical support will have at

least one engineer that will provide the

necessary interface support for their payloads.

The integration of the students will be

planned such that we will be able to

Figure 14. Organization Chart for KU Team

PI

Dr. Trevor Sorensen

Co-I

Dr. Glenn Prescott

Project Manager

Post Doc

Electronics Group

Technician

Mission Operations

1 GRA + volunteers

Mechanical Group

2 GRAs + 1 UG + volunteers

Avionics Team

1 GRA Team Lead

1 GRA + volunteers

Communication

1 GRA + volunteers

CT&DH

EPS

ADCS

HAM Radio

S-Band

GS

Bus Structure

Inflatable

Target

MMCS

Thermal

Software

1 GRA + volunteers

Payloads

PI

Dr. Trevor Sorensen

Co-I

Dr. Glenn Prescott

Project Manager

Post Doc

Electronics Group

Technician

Mission Operations

1 GRA + volunteers

Mechanical Group

2 GRAs + 1 UG + volunteers

Avionics Team

1 GRA Team Lead

1 GRA + volunteers

Communication

1 GRA + volunteers

CT&DH

EPS

ADCS

HAM Radio

S-Band

GS

Bus Structure

Inflatable

Target

MMCS

Thermal

Software

1 GRA + volunteers

Payloads

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


20

AIAA-3rd


capitalize on the knowledge and experience

acquired during the Pathfinder mission.Before being assigned a major task, every

new student will have to work with an

experienced student and participate in

training classes. It is expected thatundergraduate and volunteers will join the

team as well, and they will perform under

the guidelines of their team leader (a GRA).

Schedule

The development span for KUTESat-2 istwo years. The major milestones have been

identified from project start in June, 2005

until it is ready for delivery to the launch provider by 2007. For each milestone there

will be a presentation with contribution fromall the KUTESat-2 team members and

payload providers. The major reviews of the program will be the Systems Requirements

Review (SRR), the Preliminary Design

Review (PDR), the Critical Design Review(CDR), and the Flight Readiness Review

(FRR).

PM Methodology

A standard satellite developmentmethodology and project management

techniques will be used in the execution of

the KUTESat program. The Project Manager is experienced and will develop a Project

Management Plan (PMP) that contains the

project description, schedule, budgets, Work

Breakdown Structure (WBS),documentation list, systems engineering

plan, etc. The schedule for each satellite will

contain several reviews, mentioned in the previous section.

The Pathfinder mission was designed toallow the students involved to become

familiar with the execution approach and to

learn how to optimize every step. This will

be a great advantage for the successfulcompletion of the KUTESat-2 mission, since

it will count on the experience maturated

during the previous years.

EDUCATIONAL IMPACT

The educational importance of a programsuch as KUTESat starts with providing

several graduate students the opportunity to

work on their thesis projects using topics of DoD and NASA relevance and reaching to

high school students, giving them an

opportunity to learn more about science andspace.

During the first phase of the program( Pathfinder project), five students have used

it for their Master of Science theses or Doctorate Degree dissertation. Under the PI

supervision, they have taken several classesrelated to space (e.g., AE765 Orbital

Mechanics, AE766 Spacecraft Attitude

Dynamics and Control, AE760 SpacecraftSystems, and AE751 Rocket Propulsion)

and management (e.g., EMGT813 Design

Project Management). Experience gatheredduring the design of the Pathfinder satellite

has been invaluable. Other graduate studentshave earned class credit (special problems or

readings in engineering courses) for working

on the Pathfinder project. In December 2003, one graduate student, Suzanne

Thompson, won the first place Gold Medal

in the international student paper

competition (graduate level) at the 10th

ISCOPS conference in Tokyo, Japan for a

paper on the design and implementation of

the dosimeter RADFET payload on Pathfinder .

14She is currently employed as

an engineer at NASA JPL in the Mission

Assurance Branch doing spacecraftreliability and space environment analysis.

There are three ways in which

undergraduate students can help the programand benefit from it. The first one is being a

volunteer. More than a dozen students have

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


21

AIAA-3rd


offered their time to help in the development

of the Pathfinder satellite. They are drivenonly by their interest in space, and are fired

by their passion. Some students decide to

work on the program during the summer or

school year to obtain academic credits (e.g.,AE592 Special Problems in Aerospace).

With this system they are under the direct

supervision of the program manager, wholeads them and allocates them to the

different subsystems, basing his decision on

the student interests, and team needs.Seniors also take a design class (AE or

EECS), which allows them to obtain

practical information on the design of spacecraft and spacecraft’s electronics,

while applying their knowledge directly on asatellite. The Spring 2003 senior design

classes in Aerospace Engineering andElectrical Engineering designed, built and

tested the KU High Altitude Balloon System

to support the KUBESat precursor flights.

Since the Fall of 2002, the project manager

has been invited to local high-schools to present the KUTESat program and explain

the willingness to have the opportunity for their collaboration and participation in the

program. It is important to create a network

that will allow us to jointly createopportunities for those students that want to

increase their school preparation toward a

college degree.

RELEVANCE TO DoD AND NASA

RELEVANCE TO DoD

The DoD is interested in using nanosats to

perform space experiments, demonstrate

new technology, develop operationalsystems, and integrate advanced responsive

space system technology. One potential

operational application of nanosats is using

clusters of microsatellites that operatecooperatively to perform the function of a

larger, single satellite. Each smaller satellite

communicates with the others and shares the

processing, communications, and payload or mission functions. This type of a distributed

system has several advantages: (1) system-

level robustness and graceful degradation,

and (2) distributed capabilities for surveillance and science measurements built

into the system architecture. There are a

number of technology advancements neededto operationalize and enable tactical

missions. These advancements include

modular ‘plug-n-play’ satellite architecturesand components; high performance tactical

downlinks; adaptable, agile propulsion

systems, and lean manufacturing, assemblyand test. AFRL is in the business of

identifying and demonstrating emerging newtechnologies for space systems. The

integration of plug and play in conjunctionwith chalcogenide RAM (C-RAM) in the

nano-satellite will go far to demonstrate the

advantage of both. It will demonstrate thecost- and time- advantage of plug and play

interfaces defined dynamically, as the

configuration of the C-RAM interface willnot be known until very close to the launch.

At the same time, the flight demonstration of a low-power, rad-hard, non-volatile memory

will surely lead to the insertion in a variety

of space systems. KUTESat-2 is being usedto demonstrate these technologies and

elements, which could provide improved

responsiveness in future Air Force space

systems.

Essential to the problem of fleet satellite

protection is reducing the latency of attack reporting and fusing and disseminating

information for hundreds of space assets.

Currently in DoD, no such system exists.Attack reporting, for example, is ad hoc, and

no information sharing/coordination occurs

across the DoD / US satellite fleet. This

problem can be solved by establishing thetechnology for "Emergency 911 for

satellites" and a fusion / dissemination

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


22

AIAA-3rd


network and requiring all DoD and/or US

satellites to install this capability. It isenvisioned that the technology do this

involves a cell-phone size cube with a small

omnidirectional antenna. When activated, a

small S-band transmitter provides a near instant notification using pager-like

messages through existing TDRS system

(NASA). This capability will bedemonstrated with an experiment on

KUTESat-2.

RELEVANCE TO NASA

NASA’s objectives are very similar to that

of AFRL. NASA views nanosats as a rapidand low-cost technology platform for the

space testing of a broad range of MEMS andnanotechnologies as well as new mission

architectures. Additional goals include asfunctional components of future missions

and for the education of the next generation

of the nation’s space workforce.

A major problem that is common to NASA

and the AFRL is the so-called “Mid TRLGap”. This is where new technologies and

mission concepts find it hard to make it pastthe “Testing in a relevant environment

(space)” gate required to gain acceptance

into missions. The chief problem has beenthe lack of a rapid, low-cost space testing

mechanism to retire risks during the early

development of a new technology or mission

architecture. University nanosat programs,such as KUTESat-2, offer exciting, low-cost

solutions to this problem of acquiring “space

heritage” for new technologies and missionconcepts. These programs can undertake

higher risk missions that would be otherwise

avoided by the more conservative mission planners. Thus new MEMS and

nanotechnologies related to avionics,

guidance and control, communications,

imaging and instrumentation are offered arapid and low-cost approach to space

testing. Similarly, new mission architectures

such as constellations, formation flying,

inspector satellites and in-space constructioncan also be explored via these missions.

Specifically, the KUTESat-2 mission tests

technologies useful in NASA’s solar sail

missions among others. The proposedresearch particularly addresses NASA

research priorities JPL4.7 – Integrated Space

Microsystems, which states: “advancedtechnology development of highly

miniaturized, highly capable, autonomous,

and long-term survivable avionics systemsfor deep space as well as Earth orbiting

platforms.” and JPL4.10 - Micro Electro-

Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Nanotechnology, which includes: “novel

sensors, detectors, actuators, and other subsystems for space flight systems; new

technologies, MEMS, submicronlithography,...”

CONCLUSION

A major need that has been recognized by

the Department of Defense in the future isthe ability to rapidly deploy space assests

that can be of a tactical as well as strategicnature. Through the current efforts of the

DoD Office of Force Transformation, such a

capability is in the early stages of development. It is crucial to the success of

this effort to be able to design, develop, and

test reliable, cheap, and standardized

components, subsystems, and spacecraft buses. These require to be tested in actual

space flight, as quickly and economically as

possible. Universities can contribute in thisarea, and the KUTESat-2 project can

contribute to the realization of the

responsive space goal by providing a cheapand rapid flight testbed for these miniature

and standardized technolgies that will be of

direct benefit to the mission of DoD and the

AFRL, NASA, and the DOE. However,KUTESat-2 also contributes to satisfying a

critical need recognized by DoD and NASA.

8/8/2019 Ass 1 Help 1


23

A shortage of engineers and scientists in the

space industry is expected shortly.KUTESat-2 will be designed and built

mainly by students, who will be working

closely with professionals in the industry.

This is the type of mission that can exciteyoung people, leading to the practical

education that will make the students instant

contributors when they enter the industry. Itwill also provide an example for other

universities in executing a satellite program

in cooperation with government andindustry.

REFERENCES

1. Sorensen, T.C., Villa, M.; “KansasUniversities’ Technology Evaluation

Satellite Program,” 16 th

IFAC Symposium on

Automatic Control in Aerospace, St.

Petersburg, Russia, June 14-18, 2004.

2. Hales, J.H., and Pedersen, M., “Two-AxisMOEMS Sun Sensor for Pico Satellites,”

16th Annual AIAA/USU Small SatelliteConference, Logan, Utah, August, 2002.3. Capt. Brett Conner, “The Air Force Space

Battlelab presentation for the SmallSatellites Capability Session – Space

Innovation for the Warfighter,” 17th Small Satellite Conference, Logan, Utah, 2003.4. Lt. Col. Phil Pepperl, “Operationally

Responsive Spacelift (ORS),” 17th Small Satellite Conference, Logan, Utah, 2003.

5. PuigSuari, J., and Twiggs, R., "CubeSat:The Next Generation of Educational

Picosatellites," AMSATNA SpaceSymposium, October, 2000.6. Twiggs, B. PuigSuari, J., and Turner, C.,

"CubeSat: The Development and Launch

Support Infrastructure for Eighteen DifferentSatellite Customers on One Launch," 15th

Annual AIAA/USU Small SatelliteConference, Logan, Utah, August, 2001.

7. Puig-Suari, J., Turner, C., and Ahlgren,W., “Development of the Standard CubeSat

Deployer and a CubeSat Class Picosatellite,”P-302, IEEE Aerospace Conference, BigSky, Montana, March, 2001.

8. Nason, I., Puig-Suari, J., and Twiggs,

R.J., “Development of a Family of

Picosatellite Deployers Based on theCubeSat Standard,” IEEE AerospaceConference, Big Sky, Montana, March,

2002.9. Shaffner, J.A., “The Electronic System

Design, Analysis, Integration and

Construction of the Cal Poly StateUniversity CP1 CubeSat,” 16th Annual

AIAA/USU Small Satellite Conference,

Logan, Utah, August, 2002.10. Wells, G.J., Stras, L., Jeans, T.,

“Canada’s Smallest Satellite: The CanadianAdvanced Nanospace eXperiment (CanX-

1),” 21st AMSAT Space Symposium and

Annual Meeting , Toronto, Canada, October,

2002.

11. Fujishige, T.S., Ohta, A.T., Tamamoto,M.A., Goshi, D.S., Murakami, B.T., Akagi,

J.M., and Shiroma, W.A., “Active Antennas

for CubeSat Applications,” SSC02-V-2,16th Annual AIAA/USU Small SatelliteConference, Logan, Utah, August, 2002.12. J. Schein, A. Gerhan, F. Rysanek and M.

Krishnan, “Vacuum Arc Thruster for

Cubesat Propulsion,” P#276, 28th

International Electric Propulsion

Conference, Toulouse, France, March 17-21,

2003.

13. Brown, K.D., Sorensen, T.C., “HighAltitude Transmitter Flight Testing,”

International Telemetering Conference- ITC/USA, San Diego, CA, Oct. 20, 2004.14. Thompson. S.L., “KUTESat Sensing of

Radiation Energies, Fluxes, and Exposure

Geometry in the Space Environment Using aRADFET Array,” AAS 03-361, Tenth

International Space Conference of Pacific- Basin Societies, Advances in the

Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 117, UniveltInc., San Diego, CA, 2004, pp. 99-106.

Ass 1 Help 1

Documents

Transcript of Ass 1 Help 1