Quote from: jongoff on 08/27/2018 07:51 pmQuote from: TrevorMonty on 08/27/2018 08:24 amSmallsats and cubesats for planetary missions BLEO.www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/tiny-spacecraft-are-breaking-out-earth-s-orbitWe just presented our paper (mentioned in the depot thread in this NSF category) on using micro depots to enable smallsat launch vehicles to do dedicated deep space launch. I'll link to the article and the writeup in another thread once we've put our finishing touches on it, but it's relevant to this planetary/BLEO smallsats discussion--we were getting results suggesting you could use a LauncherOne (refueled on-orbit with a dry-launched/LEO-fueled storable biprop kick stage) to send an 90-450kg net payload almost anywhere in the inner solar system, out to Jupiter.~JonThe alternative to refuelling is to deliver earth departure stage on separate flight, rendezvous in orbit and move satellite to earth departure stage. Mission complexity is not lot different, still need to rendezvous, just trade between swapping fuel and payload(satellite).If done at an unmmanned robotic station, then robotic capabilities of station could help reduce risk. Checkout the satellite before sending BLEO or do minor repairs. The station would also allow for assembly of satellite, eg add large lite weight solar array built at station.
Quote from: TrevorMonty on 08/27/2018 08:24 amSmallsats and cubesats for planetary missions BLEO.www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/tiny-spacecraft-are-breaking-out-earth-s-orbitWe just presented our paper (mentioned in the depot thread in this NSF category) on using micro depots to enable smallsat launch vehicles to do dedicated deep space launch. I'll link to the article and the writeup in another thread once we've put our finishing touches on it, but it's relevant to this planetary/BLEO smallsats discussion--we were getting results suggesting you could use a LauncherOne (refueled on-orbit with a dry-launched/LEO-fueled storable biprop kick stage) to send an 90-450kg net payload almost anywhere in the inner solar system, out to Jupiter.~Jon
Smallsats and cubesats for planetary missions BLEO.www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/tiny-spacecraft-are-breaking-out-earth-s-orbit
spacenews.com/gapsat-places-geo-smallsat-order-with-terran-orbital/GEO comms smallsat, no size given but Terran Orbital specialize in 10-100kg cubesat and smallsats. Being delivered direct to GEO by LV, which is unknown at present.
Quote from: TrevorMonty on 09/13/2018 05:25 pmspacenews.com/gapsat-places-geo-smallsat-order-with-terran-orbital/GEO comms smallsat, no size given but Terran Orbital specialize in 10-100kg cubesat and smallsats. Being delivered direct to GEO by LV, which is unknown at present.It doesn't explicitly say the LV will put it in GEO (it's possible for a larger sat to carry smaller sats to GEO). If it is going directly to GEO on the LV I'd guess it would be on a Russian rocket? Who else really offers that?