Nanosatellites

Space and Ground Technologies, Operations and Economics

Rogerio Atem de Carvalho, Jaime Estela, Martin Langer

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781119042051
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Aeronautic & Astronautic Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Nanosatellites: Space and Ground Technologies, Operations and Economics

Rogerio Atem de Carvalho, Instituto Federal Fluminense, Brazil

Jaime Estela, Spectrum Aerospace Group, Germany and Peru

Martin Langer, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Covering the latest research on nanosatellites

Nanosatellites: Space and Ground Technologies, Operations and Economics comprehensively presents the latest research on the fast-developing area of nanosatellites. Divided into three distinct sections, the book begins with a brief history of nanosatellites and introduces nanosatellites technologies and payloads, also explaining how these are deployed into space. The second section provides an overview of the ground segment and operations, and the third section focuses on the regulations, policies, economics, and future trends.

Key features:

• Payloads for nanosatellites
• Nanosatellites components design
• Examines the cost of development of nanosatellites.
• Covers the latest policies and regulations.
• Considers future trends for nanosatellites.

Nanosatellites: Space and Ground Technologies, Operations and Economics is a comprehensive reference for researchers and practitioners working with nanosatellites in the aerospace industry.

1 I-1
A Brief History of Nanosatellites

Siegfried W. Janson

xLab, The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, USA

1.1 Introduction

The term “nanosatellite” first appeared in print in a paper by the University of Surrey in 1992 [1]. Although originally defined as a spacecraft with a mass of less than 10 kg, nanosatellites are now more narrowly defined as spacecraft with a mass between 1 and 10 kg. Solid-state electronics and primitive solar cells enabled the first active nanosatellite, Vanguard 1, launched by the USA in 1958. It carried two continuous wave (CW) transmitters that enabled monitoring of spacecraft's internal temperatures and the total integrated electron density between the satellite and a ground station. This first nanosatellite is still in orbit but has been silent since 1964. Continued advancements in microelectronics/nanoelectronics, solar cells, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and computer-aided design (CAD) now enable visible imaging nanosatellites with 5 m ground resolution and nanosatellites that use global positioning system radio occultation measurements to measure ionospheric electron densities, tropospheric and stratospheric humidity levels, and temperatures. Much has happened in the intervening 60 years.

1.2 Historical Nanosatellite Launch Rates

Figure 1.1 shows the launch history of active nanosatellites from 1958 through 2017. Over 600 passive nanosatellites, operating basically as reflectors of radiofrequency (RF) radiation or as air drag monitors, were launched by the USA and the former Soviet Union during this period of time. These simple spacecraft did not have the typical spacecraft systems, such as power conditioning, command and control, and communications, so were therefore not included in Figure 1.1. Figure 1.1 shows historical data for active nanosatellites within the 1–10 kg mass range that were successfully launched and deployed into orbit. It includes all 1U CubeSats. The original CubeSat Specification Document mandated a mass limit of 1 kg per “U” of volume, but later versions increased the “U” mass to 1.33 kg. In addition, many early 1U CubeSats came within 10–20 g of the original 1000 g target, a mass deficiency of 2% or less. All “sub-U” CubeSats (e.g. PocketQubes and SunCubes) are well within the picosatellite mass range and are not included in Figure 1.1. Note that the vertical scale in Figure 1.1 is logarithmic in order to show the dramatic rise in launch rates over the past two decades. This is an “integer logarithmic” plot, because the lowest launch rate has been labeled zero rather than the mathematically correct value of 0.1 for this plot. Since spacecraft come in integer values, this should be acceptable.

Figure 1.1 Yearly launch rates of nanosatellites from 1958 through 2017. (See color plate section for color representation of this figure).

Source: Data compiled from [2–4].

Figure 1.1 shows that nanosatellites were flown during the first decade of the Space Age at a rate of about two per year, and then disappeared for almost three decades. Hundreds of passive nanosatellites were flown during these three decades, along with many 11–13 kg mass, 23 cm³ “almost” nanosatellites, but no active nanosatellites. Active nanosatellites finally reappeared in 1997, with launch rates doubling every 2.44 years since then. Launch rate predictions for the next 4 years are consistent with another 4 years of similar exponential growth. This remarkable, two-decade-long exponential growth parallels Moore's law for microelectronic/nanoelectronics—the doubling of performance every 2–3 years due to a continual reduction in transistor size. Exponential growth of nanosatellite launch rates was i...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• List of Contributors
• Foreword: Nanosatellite Space Experiment
• Introduction by the Editors
• 1 I-1: A Brief History of Nanosatellites
• 2 I-2a: On-board Computer and Data Handling
• 3 I-2b: Operational Systems
• 4 I-2c: Attitude Control and Determination
• 5 I-2d: Propulsion Systems
• 6 I-2e: Communications
• 7 I-2f: Structural Subsystem
• 8 I-2g: Power Systems
• 9 I-2h: Thermal Design, Analysis, and Test
• 10 I-2i: Systems Engineering and Quality Assessment
• 11 I-2j: Integration and Testing
• 12 I-3a: Scientific Payloads
• 13 I-3b: In-orbit Technology Demonstration
• 14 I-3c: Nanosatellites as Educational Projects
• 15 I-3d: Formations of Small Satellites
• 16 I-3e: Precise, Autonomous Formation Flight at Low Cost
• 17 I-4a: Launch Vehicles—Challenges and Solutions
• 18 I-4b: Deployment Systems
• 19 I-4c: Mission Operations
• 20 I-5: Mission Examples
• 21 II-1: Ground Segment
• 22 II-2: Ground Station Networks
• 23 II-3: Ground-based Satellite Tracking
• 24 II-4a: AMSAT1
• 24 II-4b: New Radio Technologies1
• 25 III-1a: Cost Breakdown for the Development of Nanosatellites
• 26 III-1b: Launch Costs
• 27 III-2a: Policies and Regulations in Europe
• 28 III-2b: Policies and Regulations in North America
• 29 III-2c: International Organizations and International Cooperation
• 30 III-3a: Economy of Small Satellites
• 31 III-3b: Economics and the Future
• 32 III-3c: Networks of Nanosatellites
• Index
• End User License Agreement