Session
Technical Session 12: Constellation Missions
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
We are developing a small SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite for our commercial solution business. Our goal is to deploy at least 30 small SAR satellites in orbit and enable frequent and persistent observations until the Mid 2020s. We launched the satellite on 15th December 2020 by Rocket Lab's Electron. We waited for a month until we took the first image to confirm the complete evacuation of the residual air and contaminations to prevent any hazardous electrical discharge. We took the first image on 8th February. The satellite is now operating in a fine state and acquiring images requested by the customers. We will make six satellite constellation until 2023. We also describe our system architecture including our solution business and the satellite development. Our business development team and the satellite development team are communicating with each other for adequate system architecture and agile satellite development. Our business development team acquires many novel needs from our customers. One of our goals is an agile reflection of the user's needs for the satellite development. We are now establishing a process and an organization to extract those business needs, analyze them and identify the key requirements for the satellite performances and functions. We believe that one important challenge is to achieve application layer integration from a customer business system to a satellite on-board software through solution platform, data platform, satellite control ground system, and the satellite itself. We try to harmonize the software and information processes of the application layer, although the platform where the application is located, the organization where staffs belong, and their culture are different. We wish our activities contribute to our small satellite community or ecosystem and a system architecture including component suppliers, communication service providers, and data processing service providers.
The Autonomous System Architecture of the Small SAR Satellite Operation System and On-Orbit Autonomous Operation Experiences
Utah State University, Logan, UT
We are developing a small SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite for our commercial solution business. Our goal is to deploy at least 30 small SAR satellites in orbit and enable frequent and persistent observations until the Mid 2020s. We launched the satellite on 15th December 2020 by Rocket Lab's Electron. We waited for a month until we took the first image to confirm the complete evacuation of the residual air and contaminations to prevent any hazardous electrical discharge. We took the first image on 8th February. The satellite is now operating in a fine state and acquiring images requested by the customers. We will make six satellite constellation until 2023. We also describe our system architecture including our solution business and the satellite development. Our business development team and the satellite development team are communicating with each other for adequate system architecture and agile satellite development. Our business development team acquires many novel needs from our customers. One of our goals is an agile reflection of the user's needs for the satellite development. We are now establishing a process and an organization to extract those business needs, analyze them and identify the key requirements for the satellite performances and functions. We believe that one important challenge is to achieve application layer integration from a customer business system to a satellite on-board software through solution platform, data platform, satellite control ground system, and the satellite itself. We try to harmonize the software and information processes of the application layer, although the platform where the application is located, the organization where staffs belong, and their culture are different. We wish our activities contribute to our small satellite community or ecosystem and a system architecture including component suppliers, communication service providers, and data processing service providers.
