As we get closer to our SSO-A dedicated rideshare mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, our preparations have moved into high gear. We’ve got an amazing team getting ready to deploy close to 90 satellites in the same orbit. To ensure a flawless mission, we’ve brought in experts from outside who are excited to be part of the mission.As part of our preparations, Dr. Vivek Nagabhushan, Spaceflight’s Group Lead of Spacecraft Dynamics and Control, reached out to Dr. Behcet Acikmese, professor of Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Washington. ... He is a well- known expert at guidance, control and estimation algorithms for spacecraft. His task was to develop an analysis tool to assess different deployment strategies with Dr. Nagabhushan’s guidance. ...
In total, seven SkySat satellites are currently operating. Terra Bella anticipates launching SkySat8 through SkySat15—the remaining currently authorized spacecraft in the constellation—in 2017.SkySat16 through SkySat21, for which this modification is requested, are currently under construction. Terra Bella anticipates launching these satellites as early as September 2018.
The first entirely Thai-built satellite, KNACKSAT is going to be aboard Spaceflight’s SSO-A mission in 2018...
Launch Vehicle Separation Systems 101May 4, 2017 Hilary Meyerson Building a satellite is a costly and difficult endeavor. Getting that very expensive and sensitive payload safely on orbit is the next step. That’s where we come in. And once we get them to orbit, we need to separate them and send them on their way. So, we work with our customers to identify the right separating system to deploy their spacecraft. While sometimes customers come to us with a system chosen, more often we consider the size and shape of their spacecraft, make a recommendation and purchase it for them. There are many benefits for the customer to go this route. First of all, we’re subsystem agnostic. We choose the right system for the mission, period. We don’t sell hardware – we can pick and choose from a variety of vendors looking for the best technical solution and value to the customer. Here’s a brief rundown of the available options:Clamp bands: These type of separation systems used two rings, held together by a clamping mechanism. One ring is attached to the spacecraft and one to Spaceflight’s mounting structure. Once the clamping mechanism is released, the rings separate and the spacecraft is flying free. Springs are used to provide a separation velocity to the spacecraft. They come in a variety of bolt circle diameters and are the most common method for separating larger spacecraft. Within the general category of clamp bands, there are different approaches to the clamping mechanism:Motorized Light Band (MLB): The MLB is a popular separation system, which is built by Planetary Systems Corporation. It uses a motor to release an innovative modular clamping mechanism. It is very reliable, lightweight, and cost effective solution.. We are using multiple MLBs of different diameters for our SSO-A launch. It’s highly reliable and has been flight proven many times. It is lighter than a clamp band.Marmon Clamps: Marmon clamps are classic mechanisms for holding together and releasing cylindrical structures, including the difference stages of some rockets. They consist of two rings with a V-shaped groove in them. They clamp on a corresponding V-shaped ridge that is formed when bringing the two separating halves together. The two rings are held torqued tightly in place by a bolt mechanism that can be separated by various means. For a spacecraft separation system, one side would bolt to the spacecraft and one to the launch vehicle. Traditionally, separation systems of these type used pyrotechnic (i.e. explosive) devices to cut the clamping bolt. However, the more modern systems such as Spaceflight uses, a low shock release mechanism is used to give our customers a gentle separation. They have an excellent success rate. We are using a large one, with a 1575 mm diameter from Ruag for an upcoming mission.For CubeSats we use a variety of dispensers depending on the needs of individual Cubesats, as well as to help fit as many spacecraft as possible onto a given launch.Quadpack: The Quadpack is built by Innovative Solutions in Space (ISIS) in Delft, Holland. They can handle up to 12U equivalent volume of cubesats. In other word, different combinations of CubeSat sizes that add up to 12Us. For example it can dispense four 3U satellites, or two 6U satellites, two 3Us plus 1 6U or a single 12U. We’re using Quadpacks on both the SSO-A mission and PSLV mission.6U pack: This is also built by our friends in Delft. It is basically half of a Quadpack. We are using several of these on an upcoming launch on a Minotaur IV launch vehicle, as well as on the SSO-A mission.ISI pod: We’ve also used the single 3U “ISI pod” dispenser built by the Dutch company ISIS for Soyuz missions.PSL-P (Pico Satellite Launch Pack): This is another dispenser, similar to the Quadpack in size and capacity. It is built by German company Astro Fein. It holds up to 12U of CubeSats in different combinations. It features a clamping mechanism that holds the CubeSats firmly in place once the doors are closed prior to flight.Canisterized Satellite Dispenser (CSD): The CSD is built by Planetary Systems Corporation, who also build the MLB separation systems discussed above. This dispenser design comes In multiple sizes, 3U, 6U, and 12U. It has a unique restraint mechanism. Instead of using rails inside the dispenser, it has tabs along the bottom of the CubeSat that are clamped in place when the door is closed. This provides a firm attachment and known load path, provide more definitive knowledge of the CubeSat dispensers.Custom systems: Sometimes the commercial off the shelf solutions don’t work with a customer’s spacecraft or they have their own unique system. In these cases, we are flexible and adapt as needed. For the Hawkeye360’s upcoming payload, they have a special dispenser unit, that slides the satellite out for deployment. We are accommodating the unique requirements to work with this systems. In other situations, we’ve also created custom deployment units to meet unique criteria on the PSLV and the DNEPR launch vehicles.One of the most common questions we get is about the tip off rate – how the deployment will “tip” the spacecraft or cause it to alter course from it’s path. Standard separation systems like lightbands and clamp rings will have little tip off and this rate can be adjusted based on the springs activated during deployment. Dispensers are typically less refined dynamically will have a higher tip off rate.These are just some of the possible separation systems available. Our experts can find exactly the right one for your spacecraft – it can be like a game of Tetris making the pieces all fit. But that is why our customers rely on us to get their spacecraft safely on orbit.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The pioneering company in memorial spaceflight, Elysium Space, is announcing today that its Elysium Star II memorial spacecraft will be on Spaceflight’s SSO-A dedicated rideshare mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Last November Elysium Space announced its revolutionary partnership with Spaceflight, a leading provider of launch and mission management services, to offer annual memorial spaceflight services to families, drastically reducing waiting times from years to months.“We are honored to assist families in achieving their dreams, riding on one of the greatest rocket in the world. This historical launch provides the perfect conditions to make this memorial spaceflight an exceptionally meaningful experience for all participants.” said Thomas Civeit, founder and CEO of Elysium Space.The 100 participants already booked for the upcoming Elysium Star II mission include U.S. military veterans, aerospace enthusiasts, and families looking to celebrate a loved one within the poetry of the starry sky. Families are welcome to join this historical launch event at Vandenberg in Southern California, or to watch via a live stream.The spacecraft will be deployed in a Sun-synchronous orbit, ensuring it will pass over every location in the world during its journey among the stars, which will last about 2 years before re-entering the atmosphere as a shooting star. The free iOS/Android Elysium mobile app will display the memorial spacecraft location in real time during the mission, enhancing the overall personal connection and experience. Reservations for the Elysium Star II mission are still open via the Elysium Space website, starting at $2,490.The Elysium Space memorial spacecraft are the first dedicated satellites ever launched for this purpose, and offer the most personal experience; previous memorial spaceflights consisted in mounting participants’ capsules to a rocket upper stage or another existing satellite.SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Air Force Base has a long history dating back to the early 1960s. Originally an Atlas launch pad activated in 1962, SLC-4E was in active use until a final Titan IV launch in 2005. SpaceX’s groundbreaking was in July 2011, and the pad was completed in just 17 months later in November 2012.“Offering dedicated rideshare missions makes it easier and more affordable for organizations like Elysium Space to execute their space missions,” said Curt Blake, President of Spaceflight’s launch division. “We are pleased to be able to play a role in their historical mission.”This milestone allows Elysium Space to pursue its prime mission of offering exceptional tributes that are within the reach of most families; by looking into the infinite wonder of the night sky, we can remember the beauty of those who have touched our lives forever.
05/30/2017Jordan's first CubeSat — JY1SAT — will be launched next February. The spacecraft’s name recalls the Amateur Radio call sign of Jordan’s late King Hussein. JY1SAT will carry a FUNcube 435/145 MHz SSB/CW Amateur Radio inverting transponder and a Slow-Scan Digital Video (SSDV) system to transmit stored images.According to The Jordan Times, a team of 16 university students has been constructing the 1U CubeSat, supervised by a group of experts and academics through weekly meetings at the Royal Jordanian Radio Amateurs Society (RJRAS). RJRAS members Nart Tahamouqa, JY5IB, and Rafiq Farmawi, JY4CI, serve as advisers to the project.The JY1SAT team includes 24-year-old Zeid Kawar, whose 2-month internship at NASA’s Ames Research Center inspired his interest in developing his country’s first nanosatellite.The student team will develop and operate a special ground station (JY6JY). JY1SAT will transmit stored images reflecting Jordan’s historical and cultural heritage, which will be selected in advance of the launch through a national competition.JY1SAT applied to the IARU on May 15 to coordinate a telemetry downlink on 145.840 MHz and transponder downlink passband of 145.855-145.875 MHz with an inverting uplink on 435.100-435.120 MHz. A SpaceX flight will carry JY1SAT into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. — Thanks to AMSAT-UK, The Jordan Times, AMSAT News Service
“We’re trying to provide more domestic launch capability for secondaries,” said Scott Schoneman of Spaceflight, noting that about one-third the value of that dedicated Falcon 9 launch is for U.S. government satellites that could not launch on foreign vehicles.
It’s not often that we pause to think about the many satellites that roam outer space. An ambitious project from artist Trevor Paglen aims to change that, reimagining the aesthetics of aerospace engineering and our relationship with the cosmos in the process. For his work titled Orbital Reflector, a diamond-shaped silver balloon measuring 100 feet in length will be packed into a small, box-like structure known as a CubeSat and launched out of Earth’s atmosphere via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Once it's about 350 miles from Earth, the CubeSat will release the sculpture. The mirror-like sculpture will circle the globe for a period of two months, reflecting light as brightly as the Big Dipper does back to Earth.
The small satellites, the first of which is earmarked to be launched in the US in February, 2018 as one of the many payloads aboard a Falcon9 rocket operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX company, are set to enable an expansion of the "affordable monitoring" service from thousands of devices across industry....The nano-satellite earmarked to be launched on the SpaceX rocket has the dimensions of about 30cm x 10cm x 10cm.The Myriota technology enables two-way communication between transmitters on the ground and the satellites, and enables monitoring of data, and asset tracking in remote locations. The company has undertaken commercial trials in monitoring water tank levels in remote areas.
Thanks Gongora. Myriota (which is based here in Adelaide) have used exactEarth satellites in the past. This is the first I've heard of Myriota launching their own satellite. The article doesn't give a name for the cubesat, but I'm going to call it Myriota 1 for the moment. This could end up being a payload on another cubesat, like what happened with Biarri Point.http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-news/294-exactearth-invests-in-satellite-internet-of-things-technology-company
This article has pictures and video of the SSO-A stack being assembled at Spaceflight.[King5 News (Seattle)] Seattle's space business continues to grow
At Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries, the size of the spacecraft continues to grow. The new SSO-A, assembled in a tall warehouse in Auburn, stands nearly 20 feet tall. This week, the stages of the spacecraft are bolted together and scheduled for vibration tests designed to find out if the SSO, which stands for Sun Synchronous Orbit, is ready for the violence of launch....Aboard the SSO, there are attachments points and dispensers for 120 satellites...the satellites that will hitch a ride aboard the SSO-A come from nearly 50 private and government entities from 16 different countries.
Watch us assemble our payload stack for #SSO-A in just over a minute:
