Development of reliability-corrected cost model for Small Earth Observation satellites

In this study, a novel reliability-corrected cost model for estimating the development cost of highly agile small EO (Earth Observation) satellites is presented. In order to develop the cost model of highly agile small EO satellites, a database has been constructed consisting of 49 satellites carrying electro-optical payloads and having a launch mass between 100 kg and 1,000 kg that have either been developed or being developed within a time frame from 1991 to 2011. The cost model of top-down type was developed by analyzing the database statistically. The reliability-corrected CER (Cost Estimating Relationships) developed in this study implement multiple parameters-based complexity indexes. In addition, the Cost Correction Factor (CCF) and Low Cost Small Satellite (LCSS) adjustment factor were newly introduced as additional parameters for cost estimation. The reliability-corrected CERs for 26 EO satellites were used for verification of the cost model developed in this study. It was observed that there are approximately 7% of absolute average errors in the reliability-corrected CER. It is concluded that this cost model can provide cost estimates with a higher accuracy, as compared to conventional cost models such as USCM and SSCM. Finally, this paper also describes the results of cost estimation obtained by applying the developed cost model to highly agile small electro-optical satellites having specific performance requirements.     

Iteration-based identification of faulty links in LEO/MEO satellite communication networks

Satellite systems are going to be an important part of the future personal communication infrastructure. The first-generation candidates for satellite personal communication networks (S-PCN) will rely on low earth orbiting (LEO) and medium earth orbiting (MEO) constellations. For LEO satellite systems employing intersatellite links (ISLs), we present a iteration-based algorithm to identify faulty links, which applies to a satellite network assuming a connection-oriented network structure, e.g., ATM or ATM-type switches on-board satellites. In the algorithm a management satellite can autonomously and real-time identify a ranked list of the most probable failed network links through building discrete-time dynamic virtual topology graph (DT-DVTG), then testing can be used to quickly pinpoint the actual faulty links. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated through simulations.     

On the global geodetic observing system: Africa's preparedness and challenges

Space geodetic techniques and satellite missions play a crucial role in the determination and monitoring of geo-kinematics, Earth's rotation and gravity fields. These three pillars of geodesy provide the basis for determining the geodetic reference frames with high accuracy, spatial resolution and temporal stability. Space geodetic techniques have been used for the assessment of geo-hazards, anthropogenic hazards and in the design of early warning systems for hazard and disasters. In general, space geodesy provides products for Earth observation, science and influences many activities (e.g., building and management) in a modern society. In order to further promote the application of space geodetic methods to solving Earth science problems, the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) was commissioned as an important geodetic infrastructure that integrates different geodetic techniques (such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Very Long Baseline Interferometry, Satellite Laser Ranging, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite), models and analysis techniques for the purpose of ensuring long-term, precise monitoring of geodetic observables vital for monitoring Earth system processes. Since its inception, there has been considerable progress made towards setting up the infrastructure necessary for the establishment of the GGOS database. While the challenges that beleaguer the GGOS are acknowledged (at least at global level), the assessment of an attuned GGOS infrastructure in the African context is necessary, yet lacking. In the present contribution, (a) the African preparedness and response to the observing system is assessed, and (b) the specific scientific and technological challenges of establishing a regional GGOS hub for Africa are reviewed. Currently only South Africa has a fundamental geodetic observatory located at Hartebeesthoek, Pretoria. Other countries in Africa have shown interest to participate in global geodetic activities, in particular through interest in the development of a unified African geodetic reference frame (AFREF). In particular interest has been shown in the proposed African VLBI Network (AVN), which will be partially based on existing ex-telecommunication radio antennas. Several countries are investigating their participation in the AVN, including Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.     

Developments in Earth Observation data reception, dissemination and archival at National Remote Sensing Agency

With the rapid advancement in remote sensing technology and corresponding applications, the Earth Observation Ground Segment has undergone a significant change at NRSA. From dedicated data acquisition and processing systems, we have realized multi-mission data acquisition quick look and browse systems and also multi-mission integrated information management systems. Front end of data reception station has been upgraded to handle wider bandwidth and data rates up to 320 Mbps for near future missions such as the Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT). Antenna, feed, down converters and RF chain have been upgraded. To cater to multi-mission scenario mission independent, fully configurable demodulator/bit synchs have been deployed. For handling data acquisition in multi-satellite scenario where in data from 5 to 6 remote sensing satellites are to be received almost simultaneously, automation of operations has been incorporated towards station configuration to avoid manual errors. From media-based data handling, there has been a shift towards net centric data handling among the various work centers such as user order processing, data processing systems, special processing systems, data quality evaluation, and product quality control work centers. The turn around time for dissemination of user desired data products has been improved from two weeks to one day. Presently a state of the art integrated environment has been envisaged which will bring down the turn around time for the supply of data products significantly. Automation has been incorporated at both data acquisition and data processing to improve the product throughput. Presently NRSA is catering to a demand of about 30,000 data products per annum and in the next two years it is aimed to reach a level of 50,000 products per annum by realizing the integrated multi-mission ground system for earth observation (IMGEOS). This will significantly modify the entire data production and dissemination chain so that data can be made available to user within 1 h from data acquisition at Shadnagar in some cases. Some of these novel developments planned in the near future will be discussed in this paper.     

LM-11SL:A Sea-Launched Carrier Rocket for Small Satellites and Its Launch Service

Following the successful maiden flight of the Long March 11(LM-11) launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in September 2015, the first sea-launched carrier rocket dedicated to provide a launch service for small satellites and their constellations, the Long March 11 Sea Launch(LM-11 SL) has been under development by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology(CALT) and the China Great Wall Industry Corporation(CGWIC). It is planned to commence launch service in 2018. Based on the LM-11, a land-launched four-staged solid launch vehicle which has entered the market and accomplished launch missions for several small satellites in the past 3 years, the newly adopted sea launch technology enables transport and launch of LM-11 SL from maritime ships, providing flexible launch location selection.After inheriting the mature launch vehicle technologies from previous members of the Long March launch vehicle family and adopting a new way of launching from the sea, the LM-11 SL is capable of sending payloads into low Earth orbits with all altitudes and inclinations, from 200 km to 1000 km, from equatorial to sun synchronous, within a shortduration launch campaign. The LM-11 SL provides a flexible, reliable and economical launch service for the global small satellite industry.     

环境减灾-1B卫星红外相机数据减灾应用研究

红外相机是环境与灾害监测预报小卫星星座环境减灾-1A、1B（HJ-1A、1B）卫星的3种主要载荷之一,具有宽覆盖、空间分辨率相对较高的特点。文章介绍了以红外相机数据为主,并结合其他遥感数据在我国西藏东南部雪灾、华北地区雪灾、黑龙江火灾、中国北方大范围旱灾以及澳大利亚火灾等灾害预警、灾害监测和灾情评估等方面的应用,结果表明红外相机数据在国内外雪灾、火灾、干旱等自然灾害的预警监测评估中可以发挥重要作用。     

Prospects for Euro-Indian space cooperation

This is the executive summary of a report prepared for the European Commission by LD consultants on the status of India's space industry and the prospects for European firms to invest in it. India has impressive launch capabilities, telecommunications and disaster warning satellites but commercialization of its activities is occurring only slowly. There are many opportunities for joint ventures with Europe (which must not let the USA consolidate its superior position in the broadcasting field) but issues of technology transfer and India's unhappiness with the MTRC must first be resolved. As well as selling products and services, Europeans should also be prepared to buy those Indian components that are available more competitively.     

环境减灾卫星国际服务模式探索与成效

环境与灾害监测预报小卫星星座是我国对地观测系统的重要组成部分。2008年9月6日,我国成功发射环境与灾害监测预报小卫星星座A、B两颗光学小卫星（简称“环境减灾-1A、1B卫星”）。环境减灾-1A、1B卫星成功发射以来,民政部国家减灾中心（民政部卫星减灾应用中心）积极组织开展卫星在轨测试、运行管理、减灾应用、用户服务与宣传推广等工作。目前,卫星运行状态良好,各项指标正常。一年来,在成功应对国内数十场新发灾害监测与评估,积极开展国内应用服务的同时,也积极探索国际服务模式,拓展为国外救灾工作提供灾害监测产品服务,并先后成功应对澳大利亚森林大火、加拿大火灾、中缅边境火灾、海地特大地震等灾害应急监测与评估工作,在国际上获得好评,展示了我国空间技术在减灾救灾工作中的良好应用,树立了我国和平利用空间技术的大国形象。     

基于遗传算法的多星座选星方法

提出了一种基于遗传算法的选星方法,该方法能够准确、快速地实现多个全球导航卫星系统(GNSS)下选星颗数大于4的选星。经过大量试验确定了遗传算法选星的选择、交叉、变异等关键参数,并通过在交叉和变异中穿插染色体优选过程克服了遗传算法的选星结果容易陷入局部最优的缺点。以不同GNSS星座个数和不同选星颗数下的选星仿真校验了所设定遗传参数的有效性和可靠性。仿真结果表明,利用遗传算法可以高效、准确地实现选星,该方法特别适用于多星座多选星颗数的情况。     

CRESDA and CBERS Program

China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application (CRESDA) was founded on October 5,1991. According to the country’s strategy of developing land observation satellite, CRESDA has built a large ground system infrastructure for civil remote sensing satellites, providing     

Analysis on coverage ability of BeiDou navigation satellite system for manned spacecraft

To investigate the service ability of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) for manned spacecraft, both the current regional and the future-planned global constellations of BDS are introduced and simulated. The orbital parameters of the International Space Station and China׳s Tiangong-1 spacelab are used to create the simulation scenario and evaluate the performance of the BDS constellations. The number of visible satellites and the position dilution (PDOP) of precision at the spacecraft-based receiver are evaluated. Simulation and analysis show quantitative results on the coverage ability and time percentages of both the current BDS regional and future global constellations for manned-space orbits which can be a guideline to the applications and mission design of BDS receivers on manned spacecraft.     

We must harness space for sustainable development

Many UN agencies use space data as a tool to promote global sustainable development, yet the use of space has barely been acknowledged, let alone understood, by decision makers at the various UN and international meetings on the environment and development. Following discussions held at a side-event to the 2012 Rio+20 conference, the author highlights the various ways space applications can be used to meet the challenges (in resource use, disaster management, environmental protection and climate change) of sustainable development and urges policy makers to inform themselves of the benefits of space applications.     

A survey and assessment of the capabilities of Cubesats for Earth observation

In less than a decade, Cubesats have evolved from purely educational tools to a standard platform for technology demonstration and scientific instrumentation. The use of COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) components and the ongoing miniaturization of several technologies have already led to scattered instances of missions with promising scientific value. Furthermore, advantages in terms of development cost and development time with respect to larger satellites, as well as the possibility of launching several dozens of Cubesats with a single rocket launch, have brought forth the potential for radically new mission architectures consisting of very large constellations or clusters of Cubesats. These architectures promise to combine the temporal resolution of GEO missions with the spatial resolution of LEO missions, thus breaking a traditional trade-off in Earth observation mission design. This paper assesses the current capabilities of Cubesats with respect to potential employment in Earth observation missions. A thorough review of Cubesat bus technology capabilities is performed, identifying potential limitations and their implications on 17 different Earth observation payload technologies. These results are matched to an exhaustive review of scientific requirements in the field of Earth observation, assessing the possibilities of Cubesats to cope with the requirements set for each one of 21 measurement categories. Based on this review, several Earth observation measurements are identified that can potentially be compatible with the current state-of-the-art of Cubesat technology although some of them have actually never been addressed by any Cubesat mission. Simultaneously, other measurements are identified which are unlikely to be performed by Cubesats in the next few years due to insuperable constraints. Ultimately, this paper is intended to supply a box of ideas for universities to design future Cubesat missions with high scientific payoff.     

Technical and legal issues surrounding space debris—India''s position in the UN

This article briefly presents the historical background, as seen by ISRO and India, to the growing problem of space debris. It describes the technical aspects of ISRO's activities in the field of space debris, and the grey areas in technical understanding, which may impede legal discussions. Analysis of the cost and technical aspects of reorbiting satellites from geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) is detailed, since this is an important area for India and other developing countries. The article also briefly describes ISRO's views of the applicability and relevance of the existing space treaties to a possible future legal regime for space debris. Debates are currently taking place in the UN and other multilateral fora on the subject of space debris and the situation is dynamic. The main aim of this article is to inform readers of ISRO's and India's position in the UN on the subject of space debris, in terms of its technical, political and legal aspects. Certain issues of importance from the legal point of view, though not of immediate urgency, are also discussed.     

Earth observation with MEO transmitters and UAS receivers: A potential utilization of Galileo constellation

Remote sensing application of Galileo upcoming constellation in the field of civil security is preliminarily analyzed, defining low resolution (25 m) and high resolution (7.5 m) working modes for a bistatic Synthetic Aperture Radar system utilizing Galileo satellites as transmitters and Unmanned Aerial Systems as receivers. Simulations offshore Somali coast and in a South Mediterranean Sea region showed that both low and high resolution acquisitions are feasible. For the low resolution mode a probability of successful image formation no matter the azimuth position of the receiving UAS has been estimated at nearly 100%. Whereas, for the high resolution mode it decreases to about 90%, which, if deemed unsatisfactory for the application, leads to the need for UAS to adapt its route to the actual Galileo satellite coverage.     

A series of small scientific satellite with flexible standard bus

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has a plan to develop the small satellite standard bus for various scientific missions and disaster monitoring missions. The satellite bus is a class of 250–400 kg mass with three-axis control capability of 0.02 accuracy. The science missions include X-ray astronomy missions, planetary telescope missions, and magnetosphere atmosphere missions. In order to adapt the wide range of mission requirements, the satellite bus has to be provided with flexibility. The concepts of modularization, reusability, and product line are applied to the standard bus system. This paper describes the characteristics of the small satellite standard bus which will be firstly launched in 2011.     

“Furoshiki satellite” - a large membrane structure as a novel space system

We have been studying a large membrane space structure named “Furoshiki Satellite,” as a promising candidate of a future space system for those missions requiring large area in space such as solar power generation, a large communication antenna, or a large radiator. This membrane is folded in a very small volume during launch and is deployed and controlled by a set of several satellites at its corners or using centrifugal force generated by rotating the central satellite. It is expected that such a structure will reduce the weight per area of the space structure and, if the control technology is properly applied, it can be efficiently folded during launch and easily deployed after release. This paper shows the concept of Furoshiki Satellite, its applications, and its dynamics on orbit and how to control it. A nano-satellite project on demonstrate the concept of Furoshiki Satellite will also be described briefly.     

Is space global disaster warning and monitoring now nearing reality?

It is now well established that the annual cost of natural disasters world-wide is in excess of $400 billion. Support of relief agencies and governments depends on the timely receipt of information on the scale and nature of these disasters, and much of this information comes from ground-based sources. It is also recognised, however, that significant input could be provided by space-based sensor systems, both for disaster warning as well as disaster monitoring. Recent major disasters have demonstrated that the scale of devastation cannot adequately be monitored from ground-based information sources alone. This paper addresses current developments in a study to provide a global space-based monitoring and information system, with the associated ability to provide advanced warning of many types of disaster. Also addressed are the latest developments in sensor technology (optical, IR, Radar) including a UK initiative in high resolution imaging from a microsatellite, the logistics and cost of such a system and the feasibility of using communications networks for providing the infrastructure for such a system.     

Cost-driven design of small satellite remote sensing systems*

Earth remote sensing (alongside communications) is one of the key application of Earth-orbiting satellites. Civilian satellites in the LANDSAT and SPOT series provide Earth images which have been used for a vast spectrum of applications in agriculture, meteorology, hydrology, urban planning and geology, to name but a few. In the defence sector, satellite remote sensing systems are a critical tool in strategic and tactical planning – for the countries which can afford them. To date, remote sensing satellites have fallen into one of these two categories: military missions driven by the requirement for very high resolution and orbital agility; and multipurpose civil satellites using general purpose sensors to serve a diverse community of end users. For military-style missions, the drive to high resolution sets the requirements for optics, attitude control and downlink data bandwidth. For civil missions, the requirement to satisfy multiple, diverse user applications forces compromises on spectral band and orbit selection. Although there are exceptions, many small satellite remote sensing missions carry on in this tradition, concentrating on ultra high resolution products for multiple user communities. This results in satellites costing on the order of US $100 M, not optimised for any particular application. This paper explores an alternative path to satellite remote sensing, aiming simultaneously to reduce cost and to optimise imaging products for specific applications. By decreasing the cost of the remote sensing satellite system to a critical point, it becomes appropriate to optimise the sensor's spectral and temporal characteristics to fit the requirements of a small, specialised user base. The critical engineering trade-off faced in a cost driven mission is how to reduce mission cost while still delivering a useful product to the selected user. At the Surrey Space Centre, we have pursued an engineering path using two dimensional CCD array sensors, commercial off-the-shelf lenses and gravity-gradient stabilised microsatellites. In spite of the inherent limitations of such systems, recent successes with the Thai Microsatellite Company's Thai-Phutt satellite show that a system costing in the region of US $3 million, can approach the spectral and spatial characteristics of LANDSAT. Surrey's UoSAT-12 minisatellite (to be launched April, 1999) will further develop this cost-driven approach to provide 10 m panchromatic resolution and 30 m multi-spectral resolution. This paper describes the Thai-Phutt and UoSAT-12 imaging systems, explaining the engineering methods and trade-offs. Although Surrey is presently the only centre presently pursuing such implementations, our paper shows that they deserve wider consideration.     

Post-disposal orbital evolution of satellites and upper stages used by the GPS and GLONASS navigation constellations: The long-term impact on the Medium Earth Orbit environment

The long-term evolution and environmental impact in MEO of all the abandoned spacecraft and upper stages associated with the GPS and GLONASS navigation constellations were analyzed. The orbits of the disposed objects, as of 1 May 2011, were propagated for 200 years and snapshots of their evolving distribution were obtained, together with an estimation of the changing collision probability with the spacecraft of the operational navigation systems existing or planned in MEO, i.e., GLONASS, GPS, Beidou and Galileo. The probability that the abandoned objects considered will collide with the operational spacecraft of the navigation constellations is very low, even taking into account the intrinsic eccentricity instability of the disposal orbits. Assuming the present or envisaged configuration of the constellations in MEO, the probability of collision, integrated over 200 years, would be <1/300 with a GLONASS spacecraft, <1/15,000 with a GPS or Beidou spacecraft, and <1/250,000 with a Galileo spacecraft. The worst disposal strategy consists in abandoning satellites and upper stages close to the altitude of the operational constellation (GLONASS), while a re-orbiting a few hundred km away (GPS) is able to guarantee an effective long-term dilution of the collision risk, irrespective of the eccentricity instability due to geopotential and luni-solar perturbations. The disposal strategies applied so far to the GPS satellites should be able to guarantee for at least a few centuries a sustainable MEO environment free of collisions among intact objects. Consequently, there would be no need to adopt disposal schemes targeting also the optimal value of the eccentricity vector. However, it should be pointed out that the GPS disposal strategy was devised well in advance of the Beidou constellation announcement, so most of the abandoned satellites were re-orbited fairly close to the altitude of the new Chinese system. A new re-orbiting approach will be therefore needed in the future.