Session
Session II: Next on the Pad 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
The Active Cooling for Multispectral Earth Sensors mission is an upcoming technology flight demonstration funded by the NASA Science Mission Directorate (ESTO STMD) through the In-space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program. ACMES is currently being developed by teams from the Center for Space Engineering (CSE) at Utah State University (USU), Orion Space Solutions (OSS), and the Hawaii Spaceflight Institute (HSFL). ACMES will feature a variety of next-generation Earth Science remote sensing and in situ ionospheric payloads, including the second-generation Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI 2.0) instrument, a LWIR push-broom interferometer that produces 25 spectral bands between ~8-12 μm with a ground sampling distance better than 45 meters. HyTI 2.0 is capable of generating LandSat quality ground mapping datasets from a CubeSat platform. In addition, ACMES will feature two student-developed payloads: The Filter Incidence Narrow-band Infrared Spectrometer (FINIS), a daytime Methane detector, and the Planar Langmuir Impedance Diagnostic (PLAID) instrument, a planar style RF impedance probe. ACMES will June to October 2025 to a ~550 km SSO orbit and serve a one-year technology demonstration mission by an extended mission to collect valuable scientific grade data for the Earth science community. ACMES is supported by the OSS Triton line of CubeSat buses. The Triton line of satellite buses features several enabling technologies, including onboard cold gas propulsion for station keeping and injunction avoidance, high data rate, +186 Gb/day (max), S & X-band DVBS2.0 telemetry links, peak solar power generation of over ~230 W, and smart power control, and distribution to ~400 Wh dedicated Lithium-Ion battery storage. In addition, Triton buses include the Active Thermal Architecture (ATA) technology. The ATA is a dedicated and integrated Mechanically Pumped Fluid loop active thermal control system that serves as an enabling technology for high-powered payloads such as the HyTI 2.0 instrument. The Triton platform is a scalable (6U to 16U) satellite architecture that is custom-tailored for supporting advanced, high-powered payloads and challenging small satellite missions. We will discuss the design, development, and testing of the Triton CubeSat platform, the ACMES mission, and how this technology can enable the next generation of small satellites in Earth Science, Heliophysics, and planetary science.
The ACMES Triton Satellite: A Versatile Platform for the Next Generation of Advanced High Power CubeSats
Utah State University, Logan, UT
The Active Cooling for Multispectral Earth Sensors mission is an upcoming technology flight demonstration funded by the NASA Science Mission Directorate (ESTO STMD) through the In-space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program. ACMES is currently being developed by teams from the Center for Space Engineering (CSE) at Utah State University (USU), Orion Space Solutions (OSS), and the Hawaii Spaceflight Institute (HSFL). ACMES will feature a variety of next-generation Earth Science remote sensing and in situ ionospheric payloads, including the second-generation Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI 2.0) instrument, a LWIR push-broom interferometer that produces 25 spectral bands between ~8-12 μm with a ground sampling distance better than 45 meters. HyTI 2.0 is capable of generating LandSat quality ground mapping datasets from a CubeSat platform. In addition, ACMES will feature two student-developed payloads: The Filter Incidence Narrow-band Infrared Spectrometer (FINIS), a daytime Methane detector, and the Planar Langmuir Impedance Diagnostic (PLAID) instrument, a planar style RF impedance probe. ACMES will June to October 2025 to a ~550 km SSO orbit and serve a one-year technology demonstration mission by an extended mission to collect valuable scientific grade data for the Earth science community. ACMES is supported by the OSS Triton line of CubeSat buses. The Triton line of satellite buses features several enabling technologies, including onboard cold gas propulsion for station keeping and injunction avoidance, high data rate, +186 Gb/day (max), S & X-band DVBS2.0 telemetry links, peak solar power generation of over ~230 W, and smart power control, and distribution to ~400 Wh dedicated Lithium-Ion battery storage. In addition, Triton buses include the Active Thermal Architecture (ATA) technology. The ATA is a dedicated and integrated Mechanically Pumped Fluid loop active thermal control system that serves as an enabling technology for high-powered payloads such as the HyTI 2.0 instrument. The Triton platform is a scalable (6U to 16U) satellite architecture that is custom-tailored for supporting advanced, high-powered payloads and challenging small satellite missions. We will discuss the design, development, and testing of the Triton CubeSat platform, the ACMES mission, and how this technology can enable the next generation of small satellites in Earth Science, Heliophysics, and planetary science.
