Author Topic: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018  (Read 89581 times)

Offline Rondaz

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #380 on: 02/08/2019 11:50 pm »
SlingShot Tests Small Satellite Deployment and Payload Hosting Capabilities

The Cygnus Spacecraft leaves the ISS with SlingShot payloads in preparation for deployment activities.
The Cygnus Spacecraft leaves the ISS with SlingShot payloads in preparation for deployment activities.
Credits: NASA
animated gif of astronauts David Saint-Jacques and Anne Mcclain mounting rectangular satellite deployers outside Cygnus
ISS Crew members David Saint-Jacques and Anne Mcclain installed two Slingshot deployables, SEOPS-Quantum Radar -1 and -2s, onto the outer hatch of the Cygnus Spacecraft. Also installed in a deployable slot is the UbiquityLink-1 orbit to ground communications hardware. The two passive optical reflector satellites will be released after Cygnus moves away from the ISS.
Credits: NASA
animated gif of Astronaut Anne Mcclain installing hardware and cables into a wall inside the Cygnus spacecraft
NASA Astronaut Anne Mcclain installs a data cable and controller to prepare SlingShot for operations. Modular in design, SlingShot can hold up to nine deployers that can launch CubeSats of multiple sizes or can host fixed payloads that remain rigidly attached to Cygnus to gather and transmit data while the vehicle is in orbit.
Credits: NASA
Launching satellites is a growing business. A new platform that could bolster satellite deployment opportunities in space seeks to service this burgeoning economy. SlingShot, by the company SEOPS, is designed to deploy CubeSats at altitudes above the station using the infrastructure offered by the International Space Station in partnership with the U.S. National Laboratory and Northrop Grumman.

SlingShot arrived at the orbiting laboratory aboard the SpaceX CRS-16 mission in early December. During this flight, the company is testing every aspect of the technology’s potential uses while also deploying satellites for SEOPS’ clients.

SlingShot was designed to launch on any cargo vehicle. For this mission it was transferred from the SpaceX vehicle to the Cygnus vehicle attached to the station and then loaded with satellites for deployment when Cygnus departs from the station.

After Cygnus leaves the station, the cargo craft will navigate to approximately 310 miles (500 kilometers) above the Earth, approximately 62 miles higher than the space station’s orbit. There, Slingshot deploys two satellites, expected to stay in orbit at least two years. In addition, a mounted payload will test SlingShot’s capability to host fixed payloads for an extended period, where the payload uses Cygnus’ power, attitude control and communication capabilities.

SlingShot’s approach to satellite deployment builds on previous efforts made by other companies and international partners. Most previous deployments from the space station were at lower altitude orbits that degrade within months, limiting the useful life of the satellites.

“That is a great orbit for test demos,” said Chad Brinkley, principal investigator for the facility, “but if you look at the market for where rockets are trying to go, 500 km is ideal for closing a business case for companies that are considering flying CubeSats to give them revenue from a satellite for two plus years.”

The satellites SlingShot accommodates are modular small satellites called CubeSats that come in different configurations. Brinkley noted, “Our system is so flexible, we can accommodate the different CubeSat formats – all of them!”

One surprise to the development team has been the level of interest in the payload hosting capability. Fixed mounted payloads do not require adding avionics and a bus, so the development cost is significantly lower than developing a satellite. Additionally, the payload “can use Cygnus’ power and data as well as point the payload,” said Brinkley.

SEOPS worked closely with NASA to develop and get approval for SlingShot in less than a year. The company contracted directly with Northrop Grumman for the non-recurring engineering to integrate SlingShot with Cygnus and worked with the U.S. National Laboratory to receive their allocation, securing space for transportation as well as crew time for installation of the hardware. “For a commercial company, this is to me a great model for how you can do business with NASA and other commercial companies,” said Brinkley.

“We’re excited about having an opportunity to do this,” Brinkley said, “I feel like we’re executing the vision for commercialization of space.”

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/slingshot-small-satellite-deployment-test

Offline Lewis007

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #382 on: 02/09/2019 09:45 am »
Anyone know whether the SlingShot payloads, UbiquitiLink and SEOPS Quantum Radar, were launched on Dragon or Cygnus?

Offline Danderman

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #383 on: 02/09/2019 01:27 pm »
The Ubiquitilink payload was launched on Dragon and then transferred by the crew to Cygnus.

Offline Olaf

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Offline Danderman

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #385 on: 02/09/2019 01:42 pm »
Orbital elements for Cygnus are available from:

https://www.celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/stations.txt

It's in 459x451 orbit.

Offline Olaf

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Offline Olaf

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Offline Olaf

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #388 on: 02/10/2019 04:45 pm »
Anyone know whether the SlingShot payloads, UbiquitiLink and SEOPS Quantum Radar, were launched on Dragon or Cygnus?
According to https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/seops-quantum-radar-1.htm both Quantum Radars were launched inside Dragon too.

Offline Danderman

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #389 on: 02/10/2019 07:58 pm »
I tried to spot Cygnus last night, but no joy. I don’t see any evidence of an orbital change in the most recent elements, but it didn’t seem to appear at the appointed time last night.

Offline Lar

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #390 on: 02/11/2019 12:17 am »
https://twitter.com/SEOPSLLC/status/1094339639299788801
Thanks for the Twitter links but there are some users that have trouble with Twitter. If you remember please reproduce the text or a synopsis of what the tweet is showing.
"I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact." -Elon Musk
"We're a little bit like the dog who caught the bus" - Musk after CRS-8 S1 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY

Offline BigBob

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #391 on: 02/11/2019 08:46 am »
Hi Everyone
I have a chipsat on-board Kicksat2 waiting for deployment.  Is there any way we can get an early heads up on the date and time Nanoracks will release Kicksat2?

Offline Olaf

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #392 on: 02/12/2019 06:13 pm »
Hi Everyone
I have a chipsat on-board Kicksat2 waiting for deployment.  Is there any way we can get an early heads up on the date and time Nanoracks will release Kicksat2?
https://twitter.com/NanoRacks/status/1095374855766196225

Offline BigBob

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #393 on: 02/12/2019 10:05 pm »
I got word from NanoRacks earlier that Kicksat2 is scheduled for release at 5:45 pm ET (10:45 pm GMT) February 13th.  Awesome.

Online jacqmans

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #394 on: 02/13/2019 08:31 am »
Jacques :-)

Online jacqmans

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #395 on: 02/13/2019 08:31 am »
Jacques :-)

Offline Olaf

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Offline Sam Ho

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #397 on: 02/14/2019 04:14 am »
After successful deployments this morning of #MySat1 & #CHEFSat, we’re pleased to share that the #KickSat2 #CubeSat was released this evening! One mission, two altitudes. Thanks to our great friends at @northropgrumman & @NASA for helping us build this successful program! #Cygnus

Hi Jonathan, deploy times were 1200/22:45 UTC. Thanks for always following along!

https://twitter.com/NanoRacks/status/1095831488355012609
https://twitter.com/NanoRacks/status/1095835683913191425

Offline Olaf

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #398 on: 02/14/2019 02:14 pm »
http://nanoracks.com/nanoracks-completes-sixth-cygnus-deployment-mission/
NanoRacks Completes Sixth CubeSat Deployment from Cygnus Spacecraft, Continues Historic Program

Offline Artyom.

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Re: Antares - Cygnus NG-10 - November 17, 2018
« Reply #399 on: 02/15/2019 08:27 am »
 Photo by cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko.

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