Cornell Space Systems Design Studio

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CornellSpace Systems Design Studio

• Near-Term Mission
  Concepts Funding Models for Small Spacecraft

Mason Peck Assistant Professor Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering 607-255-4023
CUSat 1 2, Summer 2008
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Why bother with a low-cost, quick-response launch
vehicle?

• Overview
• Mine is not the VC perspective
• Spacecraft capabilities in the pico- to
  nano-satellite class
• Categories of small-satellite missions of current
  interest
• Example mission concepts
• Prospective funding
• What if there were a low-cost, quick-response
  launch vehicle?

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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Pico- and Nanosatellite Capabilities

• Picosat 0.1 - 10 kg
• Cubesat
• AMSAT Deck of Cards
• Aerospace Corp / DARPA picosat
• Nanosat 10-100 kg
• University nanosatellites (UNP)
• AMSAT OSCARs
• DARPA F6 modules (?)

10x10x10 cm
Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
50x50x60 cm
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Pico- and Nanosatellite Capabilities

• For now
• Picosats
• Cubesat lt 4W, Some lt 0.1W
• lt 10 cm aperture
• lt9600 Baud
• GPS, coarse attitude control
• Nanosats
• lt120W
• lt40 cm aperture
• S Band
• GPS, fine attitude control
• Propulsion
• Cooperative formation

Protoflight Cubesat with GPS for ionnospheric
science (ICE Cubesat)
Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
Pulsed-Plasma Thruster Test
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Pico- and Nanosatellite Capabilities

• Soon
• Picosats
• Micropropulsion
• Nanosats
• High agility

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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Categories of Missions

• Research
• Science
• In-orbit test to raise TRL
• Technology demo for a sponsor
• Engineering research
• DoD
• Responsive Space (ORS)
• Networked communications (Space Based Group /
  DARPA F6)
• Space Situational Awareness
• Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
• Education

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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Example Mission Objectives

• Research

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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Example Mission Objectives

• DoD

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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Example Mission Objectives

• Education

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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Prospective Funding

• DoD (ORS et al)
• Other Government
• DARPA
• NRO
• NASA? AFOSR? NSF?
• Industry (academic partnerships for low-cost,
  one-off demos)
• IRD, BP
• Commercial startups
• Microgravity enterprises
• Throw water at the moon

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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What if?

• Very small spacecraft
• Exploit scaling for new flight dynamics gt new
  CONOPs

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
Image courtesy of Bob Sauls / Popular Science
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What if?

• Snowball effects
• Volume ltgt cost grows the industry
• Educational opportunities graduate more
  spacecraft engineers and grow the industry
• Expanded launch opportunities accelerate science
  and technology
• Increased space access and lower-cost components
  encourages manned space

Agenda Pico to nano capabilities Categories of
missions Mission concepts Prospective
funding What if
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Toward a Standard Nanosatellite Orbit

• Imagine a MIL STD orbit for nanosats, e.g.
  circular, 500 km, equatorial
• Future NLVs might be built to accommodate this
  standard
• Why? From the LV perspective
• Vastly simpler design and IT well-understood
  customer needs
• Common capabilities for components such as
  guidance hardware and separation mechanisms (
  sep requirements)
• If you build it they will come--like the Cubesat
  standard, but for mission design and operations.
• Why? From the Nanosat payload perspective
• Most nanosats care little about orbit science,
  tech demos, short lifetime, etc. so, pick the
  most convenient one
• Use LEO to ensure drag sweeps the orbit clean of
  debris
• A small number of equatorial ground stations can
  provide considerable TC coverage. These ground
  stations should use specific frequencies (e.g.
  amateur radio).