Session
Technical Poster Session 1: Student Poster Competition
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Most of the Space Mission Analysis and Design (SMAD) tools available in the industry are geared towards small and large satellites. The relationships for satellite mass, power, volume, pointing accuracy, design life versus cost available in the literature are primarily from satellite platforms 100 kg and higher, built for 3+ years mission life. Nano and microsatellites use a very different design philosophy leveraging Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, minimal redundancy, higher risk, have rapid development times and shorter mission durations. Here, we present a nano and microsatellite mission design tool built on a database containing about 140 earth-orbiting satellites. The database contains different subsystem component parameters based on a survey of commercially available nano and microsatellite products and a catalogue of space heritage components. Analyzed estimates of relationships between parameters such as satellite mass, volume, power, sensor, and actuator type, pointing accuracy, transmit power, data rate and cost are provided. These parameters can all be plotted against a choice variable such as cost or satellite mass. This python-based tool facilitates easy scaling of a parameter to estimate first-order calculations of satellite mass, size, power, data rate, pointing accuracy, etc., which can be used for mission concept design and systems engineering process. The visualization capability helps to create results that are clear and easy to understand. Our SMAD tool for nano/micro satellites can accelerate the design process and allows end-users to choose components based on their requirements with reduced complexity and better performance.
Article
A 'SMAD' Tool for Nano and Micro Satellites
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Most of the Space Mission Analysis and Design (SMAD) tools available in the industry are geared towards small and large satellites. The relationships for satellite mass, power, volume, pointing accuracy, design life versus cost available in the literature are primarily from satellite platforms 100 kg and higher, built for 3+ years mission life. Nano and microsatellites use a very different design philosophy leveraging Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, minimal redundancy, higher risk, have rapid development times and shorter mission durations. Here, we present a nano and microsatellite mission design tool built on a database containing about 140 earth-orbiting satellites. The database contains different subsystem component parameters based on a survey of commercially available nano and microsatellite products and a catalogue of space heritage components. Analyzed estimates of relationships between parameters such as satellite mass, volume, power, sensor, and actuator type, pointing accuracy, transmit power, data rate and cost are provided. These parameters can all be plotted against a choice variable such as cost or satellite mass. This python-based tool facilitates easy scaling of a parameter to estimate first-order calculations of satellite mass, size, power, data rate, pointing accuracy, etc., which can be used for mission concept design and systems engineering process. The visualization capability helps to create results that are clear and easy to understand. Our SMAD tool for nano/micro satellites can accelerate the design process and allows end-users to choose components based on their requirements with reduced complexity and better performance.
