Capacity building in space technology development: A new initiative within the United Nations programme on space applications

Since 1971 the UN Programme on Space Applications, implemented by the Office for Outer Space Affairs, has been organizing workshops, symposiums and expert meetings and providing training opportunities in the practical applications of space technology. In 2009 the Office launched the Basic Space Technology Initiative (BSTI). The BSTI encompasses a range of activities in support of capacity building in space technology development in response to the growing interest of academic and governmental organizations in many countries to establish basic, indigenous capabilities to develop nano- and small satellites. Considerations such as the education and training of experts, the creation of required testing and building infrastructure, opportunities for international cooperation and the applicable legal and regulatory frameworks are therefore of particular interest to these organizations. The BSTI aims to assist them with their efforts. This paper describes the origins of the initiative, the activities that have been conducted to date and the work planned for 2011 and beyond.     

MICROWAVE SENSOR DEVELOPMENT IN RECENT TWO YEARS IN CHINA

The development of microwave sensors in recent two years in China are in troduced with an emphasis on spaceborne sensors without the applications in cluded. The microwave sensors as the main payloads to be boarded on the future operational satellites, such as FY-3 meteorological satellites and HY-2 marine satellite are introduced with much in detail. Besides these, four new sensors are outlined, i.e. the imaging radar altimeter,synthetic aperture radiometer, and polarimetric radiometer. Two recently conducted flight experiment campaigns are also introduced with results shown.     

一种同步自旋卫星姿态控制优化方法

根据同步自旋卫星姿态的运动规律以及自旋卫星姿态的长期实测数据,建立了姿态变化规律方程,采用最小二乘方法求解姿态变化方程,实现对自旋卫星姿态预测,预测误差小于0.05..针对目前工程应用中姿态保持周期短的问题,结合姿态及轨道倾角变化规律,建立目标姿态选取的约束方程,并利用投影梯度法求解约束方程,寻求姿态保持时间长的姿态控制目标.实际应用结果表明：该方法可以延长姿态控制周期,使自旋卫星姿态保持周期达到1 a.     

Scheduling algorithms for rapid imaging using agile Cubesat constellations

Distributed Space Missions such as formation flight and constellations, are being recognized as important Earth Observation solutions to increase measurement samples over space and time. Cubesats are increasing in size (27U, ～40?kg in development) with increasing capabilities to host imager payloads. Given the precise attitude control systems emerging in the commercial market, Cubesats now have the ability to slew and capture images within short notice. We propose a modular framework that combines orbital mechanics, attitude control and scheduling optimization to plan the time-varying, full-body orientation of agile Cubesats in a constellation such that they maximize the number of observed images and observation time, within the constraints of Cubesat hardware specifications. The attitude control strategy combines bang-bang and PD control, with constraints such as power consumption, response time, and stability factored into the optimality computations and a possible extension to PID control to account for disturbances. Schedule optimization is performed using dynamic programming with two levels of heuristics, verified and improved upon using mixed integer linear programming. The automated scheduler is expected to run on ground station resources and the resultant schedules uplinked to the satellites for execution, however it can be adapted for onboard scheduling, contingent on Cubesat hardware and software upgrades. The framework is generalizable over small steerable spacecraft, sensor specifications, imaging objectives and regions of interest, and is demonstrated using multiple 20?kg satellites in Low Earth Orbit for two case studies – rapid imaging of Landsat’s land and coastal images and extended imaging of global, warm water coral reefs. The proposed algorithm captures up to 161% more Landsat images than nadir-pointing sensors with the same field of view, on a 2-satellite constellation over a 12-h simulation. Integer programming was able to verify that optimality of the dynamic programming solution for single satellites was within 10%, and find up to 5% more optimal solutions. The optimality gap for constellations was found to be 22% at worst, but the dynamic programming schedules were found at nearly four orders of magnitude better computational speed than integer programming. The algorithm can include cloud cover predictions, ground downlink windows or any other spatial, temporal or angular constraints into the orbital module and be integrated into planning tools for agile constellations.     

海洋测高数据定轨方法研究

海洋动力环境卫星已经成为进行全球海洋和环境监测的重要手段,其上所携带的测高仪是用于测量平均海平面、浪高、重力场等海洋环境参数的主要载荷。本文介绍了国内外星载海洋测高仪的发展历程、主要的技术改进以及目前的新动态。根据测高仪的测量原理,分析了测高仪数据中可能存在的误差,并给出了对应的误差修正模型。详细介绍了Jason-1测高数据文件中所涉及的误差修正量和采用的模型。最后,通过仿真数据和实测数据的计算,分析了单用测高仪数据和交叉点数据进行轨道确定所能达到的精度,为未来的实际应用提供一些参考。     

Results About Ocean Satellite Observation

They have played more and more important roles in marine pollution monitoring, marine environment and marine disaster monitor and forecasting, marine resource investigation and marine scientific research. In this paper, the author will give a brief review of China's operational and scientific activities in satellites ocean observation during 2008 to 2010. These activities include the application of the HY-1B for red tide and green tide detecting and monitoring, sea ice monitoring, fishery resources assessment at coastal zone and ocean, marine water quality assessment, sea surface temperature monitoring and forecasting, ocean primary productivity and carbon cycle research, and the development in the ocean dynamic environment parameter application technology before launch of HY-2. The achievements we have made in the ocean observation and monitoring during the past 3 years indicate that, the development of the ocean satellite series and the application of the ocean satellite can greatly promote the development of China's three-dimensional marine observation system and earth-observation system from space, accordingly we can improve the ability of acquiring the marine environmental parameter to sustain the marine economy development and the sea defense construction.      

空间失效慢旋卫星视觉特征跟踪与位姿测量

空间碎片或者失效卫星往往绕其惯性主轴做自旋运动,虽然处于一种稳定状态,但是对其运动状态测量的难度相比三轴稳定目标而言又增加了许多,主要体现在复杂光场环境下和目标观测面周期性进出视场引起的特征点丢失、尺度变化和旋转变化,以及长时间连续观测引起的累积误差增大、位姿解算不收敛等难题。通过构建优化目标特征数据库,将传统测量方式中前后帧的匹配转变为当前帧与特征数据库的匹配和特征点的优化,即使中间过程帧出现了偏差仍然可以较好地跟踪后续图像帧的正确位置。在李代数空间下建立位姿向量微分扰动方程,获得测量值与估计值的残差目标函数,基于贝叶斯法则最大后验概率和李群与李代数的对指变换法则,求取位姿向量最优解。解决了李群空间下由于位姿变换矩阵不可加性而无法优化的问题,提高了连续测量过程中系统的测量精度。实验结果表明,无优化测量方法无法保证整个旋转周期的有效测量;通过增加位姿优化过程,连续稳定测量时间明显延长,针对以12（°）/s自旋运动的目标,测量稳定段误差在2°以内,旋转角速度测量误差为0.12（°）/s。     

FY-3 Meteorological Satellites and the Applications

FY-3 is the second generation polar-orbiting meteorological satellite of China. The first satellite named FY-3A of this series was launched on 27 May 2008. The first operational satellite named FY-3C of this series was launched on 23 September, 2013. The new generation satellites are to provide three-dimensional, quantitative, multi-spectral global remote sensing data under all weather conditions, which will greatly help the operational numerical weather prediction, global climate change research, climate diagnostics and prediction, and natural disaster monitoring. They will also provide help for many other fields such as agriculture, forestry, oceanography and hydrology. With the abovementioned capability, the FY-3 satellites can make valuable contributions to improving weather forecasts, global natural-disaster and environmental monitoring.      

Design and performances of laser retro-reflector arrays for Beidou navigation satellites and SLR observations

Beidou is the regional satellite navigation system in China, consisting of three kinds of orbiting satellites, MEO, GEO and IGSO, with the orbital altitudes of 21500–36000 km. For improving the accuracy of satellites orbit determination, calibrating microwave measuring techniques and providing better navigation service, all Beidou satellites are equipped with laser retro-reflector arrays (LRAs) to implement high precision laser ranging. The paper presents the design of LRAs for Beidou navigation satellites and the method of inclined installation of LRAs for GEO satellites to increase the effective reflective areas for the regional ground stations. By using the SLR system, the observations for Beidou satellites demonstrated a precision of centimeters. The performances of these LRAs on Beidou satellites are very excellent.     

静止轨道卫星东西位置保持控制参数的优化方法

为提高静止轨道卫星东西位置保持的轨道控制精度,提出一种优化轨道控制参数和推进剂消耗量估算的方法.这种方法考虑卫星轨道机动期间其姿态控制喷气对卫星轨道的摄动力,据此对位置保持参数中的轨控推力器点火时间进行补偿,并根据所有推力器的喷气时间估算推进剂消耗量,以修正轨控策略,实现更加精准的轨道控制效果.以在轨运行的静止轨道卫星的多次向西位置保持的变轨参数优化过程为实例,验证本方法的有效性和正确性,可应用于后续静止轨道卫星东西位置的实际操作中.