Small Sats and Technology

Dr. Mason Peck,

NASA’s Chief Technologist

September, 2012

O f f i ce o f t h e C h i e f T e ch n o l o g i s t

The Programs of Space Technology

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Early Stage Innovation Small Business Innovation

Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Program

Centennial Challenges Prize Program

Center Innovation Fund Program

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program

Space Technology Research Fellowships & Grant

Programs

Early Stage Innovation

Game Changing Technology

Game Changing Development Franklin Small Satellite Subsystem Technology

Technology Capability Demonstrations

Flight OpportunitiesTechnology Demonstration

Missions

Edison Small Satellite Demonstration Missions

Why Small Spacecraft at NASA? (1 of 3)

Open Source

COTS

Interface Standards

Rapid Development

Agile Programmatics

Responsiveness

Innovation Culture

Grass-Roots Infusion

New Hires

Workforce Development

New solutions

New investigations

Citizen Space

Cloud Exploration

Enable commercial the new, small-space commercial sector

Benefit from the rapid pace of market-driven technology growth

Spin off / spin in

Why Small Spacecraft at NASA? (2 of 3)

Enable New Approaches to Space Architecture, Science, and Exploration

Modular

Redundant

Bus

Fractionated Architecture

Sparse

Aperture

Radically Rethink Design Fundamentals By Starting Small

Images Courtesy Andrews Space

Spacecraft Evolution Usually Starts Large and Gets Larger

OAO to HST TDRS-1 to TDRS-10

PhoneSat Missions

Mission DescriptionPhoneSat 1.0 will demonstrate the use of the Nexus S smart phone as the flight avionics in a 1-U sized CubeSat nano-satellite. Three PhoneSats – Alexander, Graham, and Bell (aka PhoneSat 2.0b) –will be simultaneously deployed from an ISIPOD dispenser on the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences Antares, mid-2012, for estimated 1- to 2-week mission duration. Amateur ground stations will receive health and status information, and at least one image file, from a low-power UHF beacon. Commercial Iridium modem demonstration on-orbit is planned using one satellite (Bell). All 3 spacecraft also have corner reflectors to assess laser comm potential for cubesats.

PhoneSat Missions

Mission DescriptionPhoneSat 2.0 is a technology demonstration and continuation of the NASA PhoneSatproject. The PhoneSat aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cheap COTS hardware for use in space while increasing capabilities and dramatically lowering the cost of flight hardware. PhoneSat 2.0 will be demonstrating the use of the Nexus S smartphone as the flight avionics for a small satellite, flight bus hardware for future missions as well as demonstrating a low cost reaction wheel based attitude control system and solar cell power. PhoneSat 2.0b will be flown with PhoneSat1.0

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC)

Program Overview

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• PROGRAM: NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) funds early studies of

visionary, long term concepts - aerospace architectures, systems, or missions (not

focused technologies). The intended scope is very early concepts: Technology

Readiness Level 1-2 or early 3; 10+ years focus

• ACCOMPLISHMENTS/ MILESTONES (2012-2013):

Jan 9 -- NIAC Phase I NRA released

March 27-29 -- NIAC Spring Symposium in Pasadena, CA

April 3 -- NIAC Phase II NRA released

July -- announce Phase I and II selections

Sept 1 -- FY12 studies (Phase I and II) commence

Sept 30 -- FY11 final reports due

INTERPLANETARY CUBESATS:

Opening the Solar System to a Broad Community at Lower Cost NIAC Fellow Robert Staehle, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/637124main_Staehle_Presentation.pdf

Today, Solar System exploration missions are the exclusive

domain of space agencies and their scientists and engineers

who can muster multi-hundred-million dollar budgets. While

their accomplishments are broad, highly sophisticated and

literally out of this world, the high cost limits our pace of

important discoveries.

Interplanetary CubeSats offer an opportunity to conduct

focused science investigations around the inner Solar

System at a cost ten times lower than missions mounted

today. In much the same way that CubeSats weighing a few

pounds have dramatically increased low cost access to

space experimentation in low Earth orbit, this study intends

to focus development of six technologies in unison so as to

enable dramatically lower-cost exploration of the Solar

System and our Earth’s more distant environs. Using the

pressure of sunlight, a gravitationally defined Interplanetary

Superhighway, advanced electronics and instrumentation,

and laser communications, may extend the turn-of-the-

millennium CubeSat standard for nanosatellites to distances

far beyond Earth’s magnetic cocoon. CubeSats in low Earth

orbit have enabled dozens of universities to develop and

place in orbit student-led, student-designed, student-built,

and student-operated satellites investigating all manner of

scientifically exciting phenomena, while giving graduates of

these programs a competitive edge they bring to American

technology and industry. Additionally, CubeSats have

enabled Government-sponsored space experimentation and

technology development on an accelerated schedule for

unprecedented low cost. If successful, this system study of

the technologies to enable Interplanetary CubeSats will open

the door to a similar revolution in access to space and new

discoveries beyond Earth.

Interplanetary CubeSats offer an opportunity to conduct focused science investigations

around the inner Solar System at a cost ten times lower than missions mounted today.

Centennial Challenges

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PROGRAM: The Centennial Challenge Program (CCP) directly engages non traditional

sources advancing technologies of value to NASA’s missions and to the aerospace community.

CCP offers challenges set up as competitions that award prize money to the individuals or

teams to achieve the specified technology challenge.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS/MILESTONES (FY 2012/2013):

• Green Flight Challenge awarded the largest ever aviation prize for demonstration of over

400 mpg energy efficiency in a full scale, piloted, electric powered aircraft.

• Sample Return Robot Challenge will host a competition in June 2012 to demonstrate a

that a robot that can locate and retrieve geologic samples from a wide and varied terrain

without human control.

• In FY 2013 the Night Rover Challenge will have a competition to demonstrate a high

energy density storage systems that will enable a rover to operate throughout lunar

darkness cycle and the Nano-Satellite Challenge will have competitions to demonstrate

placement of at least one small satellite into Earth orbit, twice within one week.

To stimulate innovations in launch technology & encourage creation of commercial nano-sat delivery services--place a small satellite into Earth orbit, twice in one week.

Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge(managed by Space Florida SSRC)

PRIZE PURSE: $3.0 Million

Status• Rules under Development• Expect Registration to open in June 2012

• “First to Demonstrate” Competition opens in Jan 2013.

Satellite mass - at least 1 kg and not more than 10 kgSatellite dimensions - at least 10 cm cube Must complete at least one Earth orbit

http://www.spaceflorida.gov/nano-sat-

launch-challenge

CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI)

• Objectives: – Provide reasonably priced frequent access to space for CubeSats on

expendable launch vehicle (ELV) and Commercial Resupply Services

(CRS) launches

– Enable a longer term solution of a commercial capability

– Support missions that advance NASA’s Strategic Plan or Educational

Framework

• Excess capacity is available on Expendable Launch

vehicles

• Promotes Standardization– Enables consistent lower per launch cost

– Allows for more flexible manifesting

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Renaissance in Technology at NASA

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• Running new programs

• Offering new funding opportunities

• Embracing new paradigms in spacecraft architecture

• Enabling the private sector

• Seeking citizen space engagement

www.nasa.gov/oct

O f f i ce o f t h e C h i e f T e ch n o l o g i s t