Author Topic: LIVE: JAXA CubeSat deployment from JEM (Read 62986 times)

Fuji · « **on:** 03/02/2011 03:11 pm »

JAXA anounced Cubesat deploy plan from JEM utilize the JEM airlock and JEMRMS.
Call for max 4U equivalent Cubesats (1U+3 or 3U+1U etc.) .
Deployment schedule will be sep. 2012. Launched HTV or other resupply ships.

Cubesat dispenser is attached to airlock slide table and grappled by JEMRMS.

Danderman · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/02/2011 10:03 pm »

Is there a web page where that was announced?

Space Pete · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/02/2011 10:11 pm »

That sounds very cool! I like that idea!

Danderman · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/02/2011 10:22 pm »

Hmmm ... it looks like if aliens attack ISS, there will be some sort of defensive system the crew could use, they could spit CubeSATS at them.

Fuji · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/03/2011 11:32 am »

Quote from: Danderman on 03/02/2011 10:03 pm

Is there a web page where that was announced?

Yes. But these Space Activity Commission report are not translated in english.
http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2011/03/20110302_sac_smallsat.pdf

thuvt · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/03/2011 02:49 pm »

A very good news for cubesat developers!

Ronsmytheiii · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/03/2011 02:59 pm »

I have to wonder, why? Wouldn't it be simpler to just deploy the satellites off the lv on launch then bring them all the way to station then send them out the airlock.

Silmfeanor · « **Reply #7 on:** 03/03/2011 07:22 pm »

Quote from: Ronsmytheiii on 03/03/2011 02:59 pm

I have to wonder, why? Wouldn't it be simpler to just deploy the satellites off the lv on launch then bring them all the way to station then send them out the airlock.

I imagine they can be `worked on` ie turned on in zero gravity - that way you can build them optimized for zero G. Also, if this approach proves to be safe, it would be a lot more reliable than various diffirent launchers, diffirent orbits, etc.

Also, if you can do this fast enough you could turn it on ( by an astronaut ) , check out if it works, then throw it out. That way you won't lose your cubesat.

There are more scheduled launches going up towards the space station, so you won't have to worry about cancellations of other launches and the like. The launchers ( being human rated or close to it) would be safer, perhaps?

These are just guesses of course, but I can imagine that you could calculate the worth of 1 kg of experiment mass on perhaps the ATV and see that for 10kg you could get a part of a big of one big experiment rack or 10 different cubesats, all of which could carry different payloads?

( perhaps even one with a nice camera to throw out and do a nice photoshoot

)

Cherokee43v6 · « **Reply #8 on:** 03/03/2011 07:33 pm »

Too bad they don't have a few on board right now to toss out to get the 'flyaround' pictures that the Soyuz was considered for.

Danderman · « **Reply #9 on:** 03/03/2011 10:38 pm »

Quote from: Ronsmytheiii on 03/03/2011 02:59 pm

I have to wonder, why? Wouldn't it be simpler to just deploy the satellites off the lv on launch then bring them all the way to station then send them out the airlock.

The cost to engineer a mid-flight deployer from Ariane V, Soyuz or HTV is probably greater than simply slinging them off ISS, as counter-intuitive as that may be. And any LV deployer is a single point solution, whereas carrying a CubeSAT in a CTB can be done for any ISS vehicle.

Space Pete · « **Reply #10 on:** 03/04/2011 03:37 pm »

Quote from: Ronsmytheiii on 03/03/2011 02:59 pm

I have to wonder, why? Wouldn't it be simpler to just deploy the satellites off the lv on launch then bring them all the way to station then send them out the airlock.

It seems this is the main benefit:

"The small-sized earth orbiters will be packed with cushion materials and delivered to the ISS by an unmanned transfer vehicle, reducing the risk of them being damaged by vibrations, compared to launch by a rocket."

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110304p2a00m0na002000c.html

robertross · « **Reply #11 on:** 03/05/2011 11:01 pm »

This is a really cool idea!

douglas100 · « **Reply #12 on:** 03/06/2011 12:58 pm »

Yes, it is neat, isn't it? I like the way the JEM arm is used to control the deployment direction so there is little chance that the cubesats will recontact the Station. Also, by 2012 the Station will be in a higher orbit giving the cubesats a longer life.

Fuji · « **Reply #13 on:** 06/16/2011 02:21 am »

JAXA announced following three cubesat was selected.
RAIKO (Wakayama University: size 2U)
FITSAT-1 (Fukuoka Institute of Technology: size 1U)
WE WISH (Meisei Electric Co., Ltd.: size 1U)

Space Pete · « **Reply #14 on:** 06/22/2011 06:51 pm »

Selection Results for Small Satellites to Be Deployed from Kibo

June 15, 2011 (JST)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans the demonstration of small satellites deployment from the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" of the International Space Station (ISS) in order to enhance the capability of Kibo's utilization and to offer more launch oppotunities to small satellites.
We selected the following small satellites as the first participants in this demonstration mission, which is expected to be launched to ISS in around Sep. 2012, and to be the first small satellites deployed from the ISS using the robotic arm.

Satellite name: RAIKO
Proposer: Wakayama University
Size: 2U
Missions:
1. Shooting images of the Earth through a fish-eye lens camera
2. Measuring relative movement when deployed from the ISS through
photo shooting
3. Experiment of a star sensor
4. Orbit descending experiment using membrane deployment
5. Development of a small movable ground station and receiving signals
via international cooperation
6. Orbit determination experiment by Doppler frequency measurement of
Ku-band beacon radio wave
7. High speed data communication experiment by Ku-band communication equipment

Satellite name: FITSAT-1
Proposer: Fukuoka Institute of Technology
Size: 1U
Missions:
1. Demonstration of a high-speed transmission module for a small satellite
2. Visible light communication experiment by high power LED

Satellite name: WE WISH
Proposer: Meisei Electric Co., Ltd.
Size: 1U
Missions:
1. To contribute to local technology education and to promote utilization of
data acquired by a small satellite
2. Demonstration of an ultra-small thermal infrared camera

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2011/06/20110615_smallsat_e.html

Fuji · « **Reply #15 on:** 01/25/2012 10:31 pm »

Media invited to watch the J-SSOD (JEM-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer).
This J-SSOD will be launched in the HTV3.

http://news.mynavi.jp/articles/2012/01/25/j-ssod/index.html (Japanese)

Will be deployed 3 japanese cubesat and 2 US cubesat (F-1 and TechEdSat).

Space Pete · « **Reply #16 on:** 01/25/2012 10:34 pm »

Very cool, thanks Fuji!

Comga · « **Reply #17 on:** 01/25/2012 11:18 pm »

By ejecting the picosats downward, (minus R-bar) the new orbits will have higer apogees, and cross the orbit of the ISS.

Fortunately, by ejecting the picosats with a relative velocity component in the anti-velocity direction, the orbit periods will be reduced, meaning they should descend through the altitude of the ISS farther forward (displaced in the velocity direction) on each subsequent pass.

My guess is that this will be done just before a station reboost. so that the ISS orbit will be above that of the picosats. Hopefully their oribts will decay faster than that of the ISS.

I wonder if this will affect any of the other traffic, like HTV, ATV, Progress, Soyuz, and the CRS flights.

Danderman · « **Reply #18 on:** 01/26/2012 03:25 pm »

As an FYI, the F-1 Cubesat is the one that was supposed to be launched by Interorbital Services in 2011; instead it is flying on HTV, courtesy of Nanoracks LLC.

Robotbeat · « **Reply #19 on:** 01/26/2012 08:07 pm »

Quote from: Comga on 01/25/2012 11:18 pm

By ejecting the picosats downward, (minus R-bar) the new orbits will have higer apogees, and cross the orbit of the ISS.
...

Yeah, one of the more counter-intuitive aspects of orbital mechanics... For small delta-v in the medium-term, it doesn't matter too much if you push something down or up... it will oscillate slowly up and down, crossing your orbit (until it starts to decay).