The Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Mission

The Radarsat Earth-observation satellite was launched on November 4, 1995 aboard a Delta 2 rocket. Equipped with a sophisticated synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Radarsat can produce images of extraordinary clarity even through clouds, smog, haze, smoke, and darkness. The SAR has a variety of operating modes. It can be adjusted to produce swathes between 35 and 500 km in width, with ground resolutions from 100 m to as low as eight. In addition, the beam can be steered at angles up to 49° from the satellite's nadir vector, giving it the unique ability to image areas it is not directly overflying. In exchange for the launch, CSA agreed to provide NASA with access to the SAR data, and to execute a 180° yaw-around of Radarsat twice during its lifetime to map the Antarctic continent. Preliminary results from the first of these Antarctic Mapping Missions, dubbed AMM-1, are presented     

Orbital phase spectroscopy of four high mass X-ray binary pulsars to study the stellar wind of the companion

Our work focuses on a comprehensive orbital phase-dependent spectroscopy of the four High Mass X-ray Binary Pulsars (HMXBPs) 4U 1538-52, GX 301-2, OAO 1657-415 and Vela X-1. We hereby report the measurements of the variation of the absorption column density and iron-line flux along with other spectral parameters over the binary orbit for the above-mentioned HMXBPs in elliptical orbits, as observed with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the BeppoSAX satellites. A spherically symmetric wind profile was used as a model to compare the observed column density variations. Out of the four pulsars, only in 4U 1538-52, we find the model having a reasonable corroboration with the observations, whereas in the remaining three the stellar wind seems to be clumpy and a smooth symmetric stellar wind model appears to be quite inadequate in explaining the data. Moreover, in GX 301-2, neither the presence of a disk nor a gas stream from the companion was validated. Furthermore, the spectral results obtained in the case of OAO 1657-415 and Vela X-1 were more or less similar to that of GX 301-2.     

The impact of US export controls on the Canadian space industry

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) govern the export of defense-related technologies and services from the USA. In 1999 Canada's exemption to ITAR was suspended because of American objections over some Canadian companies retransferring US technology to third countries. This paper is a first attempt to quantify the impact of ITAR on the Canadian space industry. Thirty-two space-related companies were contacted and a total of nine responses were received, representative of around 60% of the Canadian space industry in terms of workforce and revenue. According to the results, the Canadian space industry has been relatively effective in meeting the challenges imposed by ITAR. However, these workarounds do not diminish its negative impacts, particularly with respect to cost and schedule. It is expected that ITAR will continue to affect the Canadian space industry, as no near-term relief from the current regulatory environment is on the horizon.     

Appearance of neutron stars in the state of subsonic propeller

The state of subsonic propeller is intermediate between the states of supersonic propeller and accretor in the evolutionary tracks of magnetized compact stars. The rotational rate of a star at this stage decelerates due to the interaction between its magnetosphere and the surrounding hot, quasi-static plasma envelope. The magnetospheric radius is smaller than the corotation radius and the boundary of the magnetosphere is stable with respect to interchange instabilities. The rate of the mass flux from the inner radius of the envelope to the stellar surface is limited by the rate of plasma diffusion into the magnetic field of the star. As a result, the subsonic propeller would appear as a low-luminosity accretion-powered pulsar with a soft X-ray spectrum.     

Onboard orbit determination using GPS observations based on the unscented Kalman filter

Spaceborne GPS receivers are used for real-time navigation by most low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. In general, the position and velocity accuracy of GPS navigation solutions without a dynamic filter are 25 m (1σ) and 0.5 m/s (1σ), respectively. However, GPS navigation solutions, which consist of position, velocity, and GPS receiver clock bias, have many abnormal excursions from the normal error range for space operation. These excursions lessen the accuracy of attitude control and onboard time synchronization. In this research, a new onboard orbit determination algorithm designed with the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) was developed to improve the performance. Because the UKF is able to obtain the posterior mean and covariance accurately by using the second-order Taylor series expansion through the sampled sigma points that are propagated by using the true nonlinear system, its performance can be better than that of the extended Kalman filter (EKF), which uses the linearized state transition matrix to predict the covariance. The dynamic models for orbit propagation applied perturbations due to the 40 × 40 geo-potential, the gravity of the Sun and Moon, solar radiation pressure, and atmospheric drag. The 7(8)th-order Runge–Kutta numerical integration was applied for orbit propagation. Two types of observations, navigation solutions and C/A code pseudorange, can be used at the user’s discretion. The performances of the onboard orbit determination were verified using real GPS data of the CHAMP and KOMPSAT-2 satellites. The results of the orbit determination were compared with the precision orbit ephemeris (POE) of the CHAMP and KOMPSAT-2 satellites.     

Hybrid optimization for multiple-impulse reconfiguration trajectories of satellite formation flying

A hybrid optimization method is developed for fuel-optimal reconfigurations of a group of satellites flying in formation. The genetic algorithm performs a global search to find two-impulse trajectories, and primer vector analysis finds multiple-impulsive local optimal trajectories with the two-impulse trajectories as initial guesses. Hybrid optimization finds globally optimal trajectories for formation reconfigurations, including formation resizing, reassignment and reorientation maneuvers. Multiple-impulse trajectories reduce the fuel consumption from the two-impulse trajectories by up to 4.4% for those maneuvers. In real missions, satellites can follow two-impulse trajectories to gain the advantage of a smaller number of impulses, with the cost of slightly more propellant. The qualitative characteristics of the optimal trajectories are analyzed from the number of optimal trajectories found by hybrid optimization.     

Attitude control of a bias momentum satellite using moment ofinertia

Analysis on the attitude controller based upon moment of inertia distribution for a bias momentum satellite is discussed. Spacecraft moment of inertia distribution is represented in the form of product of inertia terms in the system inertia matrix. The product of inertia between orthogonal body axes of the satellite is used to build a controller which controls the nutational motion caused by the angular momentum of the wheel. The attitude controller in the pitch axis controlling the pitch motion as well as nutational dynamics in the roll/yaw planes is analyzed in detail. Analytic expressions using linearized equations are derived providing further insight into the dynamic coupling effect among orthogonal body axes     

Optimal air-launching rocket design using system trades and a multi-disciplinary optimization approach

Compared with the conventional ground rocket launching, air-launching has many advantages. However, a comprehensive and integrated system design approach is required because the physical geometry of air launch vehicle is quite dependent on the installation limitation of the mother plane. For the selection of the best system alternative, a trade study for the first stage engine type and launching speeds is performed using a sequential optimization technique, confirming the feasibility of the baseline air-launching rocket. Then, a system design has been performed using the multi-disciplinary feasible (MDF) design optimization method. Analysis modules include mission analysis, staging, propulsion analysis, configuration, weight analysis, aerodynamics analysis and trajectory analysis. As a result of multi-disciplinary system optimization, a supersonic air launching rocket with total mass of 1244.9 kg, total length of 6.36 m, outer diameter of 0.60 m has been successfully designed to launch a satellite of 7.5 kg to the 700 km circular orbit.