Space technology in developing nations: an assessment

Space technology can make an immense contribution to solving the problems of the world as a whole, and the developing nations in particular. This report summarizes the use of satellites by developing countries in the fields of communications, remote sensing, disaster management and space science. India and China, in particular, have built up impressive capabilities in several of these areas, but the great majority of developing countries still do not have access to this technology. The author addresses a number of proposals to the international community for bringing the satellite revolution to the developing world.     

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.     

我国天基综合信息网构想

阐述了天基综合信息网的定义、组成和特征;介绍了美国和欧洲天基综合信息网的研究情况;提出了我国天基综合信息网的体系架构,其中包含通信卫星、导航卫星、遥感卫星、载人飞船等航天器和临近空间各种飞行器,以及地面系统。分析了该网络的特点和可用的网络协议结构;探讨了该网络的组网结构、网络协议、服务质量(QoS)路由、网络管理、网络安全防护、激光通信和星载处理交换等多项关键技术。依据国情,提出了我国天基综合信息网构想。此构想采用双层(地球静止轨道和低地球轨道)通信卫星星座和导航卫星星座,实现全球全时覆盖空间层航天器、临近空间层飞行器和地面层各种用户终端,通过星间链路、星地链路和地面线路组成一个空天地一体化的全球信息网络。在国外不设地球站的情况下,该网络可实现:国内测控站测控我国全球运行的卫星;国内遥感站实时接收我国全球遥感卫星发送的信息;国内关口站管理我国授权的全球用户站之间的互通信息。最后,提出了开展我国天基综合信息网的可行性研究建议。     

中国返回式卫星遥感和科学试验

文章简述了中国的3种返回式卫星的发展 ,即FSW—0、FSW—1和FSW—2卫星 ,介绍了返回式卫星各种分系统。文章从卫星遥感成果和搭载科学试验两个方面阐述了这些成果     

国内外遥感卫星发展现状

文章叙述了遥感卫星的发展背景以及在实际应用中的重要意义,并就气象卫星、资源卫星、海洋卫星等几种典型的遥感卫星详细介绍了国内外发展现状。     

Earth remote sensing as an effective tool for the development of advanced innovative educational technologies

Current educational system is facing a contradiction between the fundamentality of engineering education and the necessity of applied learning extension, which requires new methods of training to combine both academic and practical knowledge in balance. As a result there are a number of innovations being developed and implemented into the process of education aimed at optimizing the quality of the entire educational system. Among a wide range of innovative educational technologies there is an especially important subset of educational technologies which involve learning through hands-on scientific and technical projects. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of educational technologies based on small satellites development as well as the usage of Earth remote sensing data acquired from these satellites. The increase in public attention to the education through Earth remote sensing is based on the concern that although there is a great progress in the development of new methods of Earth imagery and remote sensing data acquisition there is still a big question remaining open on practical applications of this kind of data. It is important to develop the new way of thinking for the new generation of people so they understand that they are the masters of their own planet and they are responsible for its state. They should desire and should be able to use a powerful set of tools based on modern and perspective Earth remote sensing. For example NASA sponsors “Classroom of the Future” project. The Universities Space Research Association in United States provides a mechanism through which US universities can cooperate effectively with one another, with the government, and with other organizations to further space science and technology, and to promote education in these areas. It also aims at understanding the Earth as a system and promoting the role of humankind in the destiny of their own planet. The Association has founded a Journal of Earth System Science Education. Authors describe an effective model of educational technology developed in the Center for Earth Remote Sensing of Bauman Moscow State Technical University and based on scientific and educational organizations integration in the field of applied studies. The paper also presents how students are being trained to acquire and process satellite imagery data from Terra and Aqua satellites. It also reveals the results of space monitoring for Russia's ecologically complex regions conducted by Bauman Moscow State Technical University students in cooperation with specialists from the Laboratory for Aerospace Methods of Moscow State University named after M. Lomonosov.     

国外地球同步轨道遥感卫星发展初步研究

地球同步轨道遥感卫星因具备高时效性及持续探测能力等优势,已成为当前国际遥感卫星领域一个重要的发展方向。文章围绕地球同步轨道遥感卫星,重点针对光学、微波、电子侦察等国际地球同步轨道遥感卫星及卫星平台发展动态、发展趋势开展了调研与分析,梳理出国际发展情况对中国地球同步轨道遥感卫星领域发展的启示。文章从地球同步轨道遥感卫星领域发展战略的高度,进一步提出支撑该领域发展需重点突破的关键技术。     

The role of the united nations in promoting international cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space

The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) was established in 1959 by the United Nations General Assembly in order to review and foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and to consider legal issues arising from the exploration of outer space. Since its establishment, the Committee has addressed such issues as benefits from space activities, the definition and delimitation of outer space and the use of the geostationary orbit, implications of remote sensing, space sciences, space-based communications, navigation and meteorological systems, as well as use of nuclear power sources in outer space, space debris and spin-off benefits of space technology. At its session in 1996, a symposium on the ‘Utilization of micro- and small satellites for the expansion of low-cost space activities, taking into particular account the needs of developing countries’ was organized by COSPAR and IAF to complement discussions on this theme. It was noted at the symposium that the increasing number of small satellites, in particular the proposed introduction of multi-satellite ‘constellations’ at low orbits, would result in concentrations of satellite mass at certain regions of space around the Earth. Special provisions would be needed to minimize the probability of satellite breakups and collisions which might create more space debris and compromise the future of spaceflight.     

我国遥感卫星系统发展进阶路径探讨

文章回顾了作为人造地球卫星重要分支的遥感卫星及其相关的遥感技术和遥感产业的国内外发展历程,结合未来技术发展趋势和我国新时代发展需求,分别针对高端卫星和商业卫星,探讨我国卫星遥感系统发展进阶路径,提出值得关注的重大技术方向,旨在为卫星系统规划、遥感载荷部署、卫星应用拓展等提供借鉴。     

极化复用技术在遥感卫星数据传输中的应用

极化分割频率复用技术（简称极化复用技术）是解决数据传输频带资源紧张的技术途径之一,能够拓展一倍频率资源。文章针对极化复用技术在遥感卫星数据传输中的应用进行分析,推导出了星地传输极化复用信号影响因子F的定量计算公式,利用国际电联（ITU）的星地链路计算模型,给出了雨衰和降雨去极化效应的定量影响分析,对我国遥感卫星应用极化复用技术提出了有益的工程建议。     

中国航天光学遥感技术成就与展望

文章介绍了中国已发射的航天光学遥感卫星及研制成功的航天光学遥感器,展示了中国在航天光学遥感领域取得的巨大成就,并对航天光学遥感系列卫星技术的后续发展进行了展望.     

基于条件生成对抗模型的遥感卫星影像重建技术研究

为了快速侦察未知区域的地貌信息，遥感卫星可对特定区域进行扫描以获取遥感卫星影像。当卫星经过国外未知区域时，部分卫星无法针对某特定区域进行长时间的驻留扫描，本文提出一种基于条件生成对抗网络模型（Conditional Generative Adversarial Network，CGAN）进行网络训练，前期将某方法获取的区域轮廓地形信息作为CGAN网络的生成网络和鉴别网络中的条件约束信息，通过网络生成器与判别器在训练过程中互相博弈产生特定的输出集，有效地实现由单张电子轮廓图像到对应卫星遥感图像的端到端的非线性映射。本文通过原真实卫星遥感图像与生成卫星遥感图像进行四种对比误差计算，平均误差、均方误差与结构相似度均高于99%，峰值信噪比高于30 dB，生成的图像与原图像之间具备高相似度，实现了在获取坐标定位轮廓信息的先验条件下，对特定区域进行遥感卫星影像内容重建技术。     

Education curricula of the UN-affiliated regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education

Since 1988 the United Nations, through its Programme on Space Applications, has been supporting the establishment and operation of regional Centres for Space Science and Technology Education in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Asia. Simultaneously, education curricula have been developed for remote sensing and geographic information systems, satellite communications, satellite meteorology and global climate, and space and atmospheric science. The report briefly reviews these developments and highlights the most recent updated education curricula in the four disciplines that have been made available in 2002, in the six official languages of the United Nations, for implementation at the regional centres and beyond.     

WorldView系列卫星设计状态分析与启示

WorldView 系列卫星是目前世界商业卫星中分辨率较高的光学遥感卫星。文章从卫星总体设计角度介绍了WorldView 系列卫星技术指标,分析了卫星敏捷机动工作能力、构形布局设计、平台和载荷一体化设计和微振动抑制设计等,梳理出国外先进遥感卫星的发展趋势,以此为基础提出了对我国新一代光学遥感卫星的设计启示。     

Satellite services for disaster management and security applications

Advantages of communications satellites are the inherent broadcast capability, high bandwidth, reliability and flexibility in network expansion. Small transportable terminals can be made operational very quickly. Recent developments in communications and computer technology allow to provide low-cost equipment, which is affordable even in developing countries. Communications satellites can also play an important role in case of emergencies or natural disasters. The combination of satellite communications and navigation can support new services for emergency teams.

At the Institute of Applied Systems Technology and the Institute of Communication Networks and Satellite Communications highly transportable terminals have been developed, both for star and mesh network topologies. A fully meshed VSAT system is used for symmetrical links. For other applications, which do not require high return link capacity an asymmetrical system is an efficient solution. It uses low-cost DVB technology for the forward link and satellite phones with data capability on the return link. Novel multicast protocols allow to use these asymmetrical links in an efficient way. The paper describes the different systems and their applications in disaster management and security applications. Emphasis is put on transfer of remote sensing images and voice over IP (VoIP) as well as videoconference services.     

光学遥感图像船只目标检测识别技术

船只目标检测识别技术是现阶段遥感图像研究领域的一个重要发展方向。随着国产高分辨率卫星的快速发展，高分遥感卫星陆续发射，基于光学遥感图像的船只检测识别技术会逐步成为研究热门。主要介绍了近年来基于光学图片的船只检测识别技术发展、以及当前技术存在的问题。当前基于深度学习的船只目标检测识别技术取得了较好的检测效果，成为主流研究方向，但在光学遥感图像船只检测领域基于深度学习的方法有一些基本问题限制了检测效果，对这些问题进行了归纳总结，并对未来光学遥感图像船只检测技术的发展进行了展望。     

LOCSS and its implementation on the basis of a small satellite cluster

A problem of providing users with the necessary remote sensing data in the visible and near IR spectral bands has been considered. The solution of the problem plans increase of spatial and spectral resolution for imaging from space, high periodicity of surveying the same sites on the Earth's surface and spaceborne data delivery to users in real time.

This problem solution proposed is to use a cluster of small satellites and to implement the Local Space Service (LOCSS) program. The main aspects of this concept are as follows:

• • optimization of remote sensing instrumentation parameters;

• • image data compression onboard a small spacecraft;

• • compressed data downlinking via the low rate radio channel;

• • direct reception of the image data by users at small cheap receiving stations; and

• • image data decompression and processing using personal computers and special processors.

     

Spaceports and new industrialized areas in the Pacific Basin

This article analyses the rapid economic advancement of the Pacific Basin area, and discusses its future potential. Common efforts in space utilization can integrate the area, and overcome the wide diversity of political, economic and social structures. Aspects of communications, space remote sensing and space-based materials processing are examined and forecasts are made for the future role of the Pacific Basin in these areas. A populated Orbital Space City will be necessary to further space utilization. To support future activities in space, a Pacific Spaceport and a Pacific Space Centre are proposed, which would lead to the development of several ‘New Industrialized Areas’ in the age of the Solar Power Satellite. Estimates are made of the amount of electricity which will be required.     

Mature systems for small satellite missions

Over the past several years Satellites International has developed an integrated suite of satellite sub-systems and small satellite buses. The sub-systems include S-band communications, attitude sensing and control, power conversion and distribution, and on-board data handling. They are inherently modular and readily adaptable to different satellite configurations, a concept known as semi-standardisation. This concept has been adopted by two generic low-cost buses: MicroSIL for satellites in the mass range 40–80kg; and MiniSIL for satellites in the range 100–500kg. Their architecture is based on the semi-standard sub-systems, but easily modified to utilise sub-systems from other manufacturers. They can support all stabilisation methods including spinning, 3-axis control and gravity gradient and are adaptable to a wide variety of missions including Earth resources, scientific, communications and technology demonstration. The Company also manufactures a range of low cost ground support equipment and complete ground stations to complement the space-borne systems.     

敏捷遥感卫星工作模式研究

综述了国外商业遥感卫星发展情况,归纳总结了高分辨率商业卫星的主要技术指标和特点。在充分调研国外敏捷遥感卫星的基础上,从成像目标需求、分辨率与幅宽关系、立体成像三方面总结出此类卫星的技术特点,阐述了发展敏捷遥感卫星的重要意义和作用,并深入分析了实现姿态敏捷控制的技术途径。利用姿态的敏捷控制能力,研究提出了多点目标成像、立体成像、宽幅拼接成像、动态扫描成像等4种典型工作模式,完成了敏捷卫星主要工作模式的分析与设计,并基于此工作模式要求,提出了敏捷卫星工程实现的技术途径。