Session
Next on the Pad
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
The Orion Space Solutions' Kraken Mission, sponsored by DARPA and implemented by a science and engineering team led by Orion Space Solutions, will make in-situ and remote sensing space weather observations from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). The mission instrument suite will include Langmuir Probes, RF Impedance Probes, HF Sounders, Atomic Oxygen Sensors, Science Magnetometers, Floating Potential Probes, and Science Accelerometers. Long-term (approximately 4-6 month lifetime), repeated measurements of plasma density and other plasma and neutral parameters in this region are very rare, and the Kraken data is expected to contribute considerably to space weather and science modeling of VLEO. This paper will describe the highly integrated, comprehensive instrument suite and the unique small satellite design platform that are being developed for this path-finding mission. The approach to addressing orbit issues resulting from the relatively high drag and corrosive atomic oxygen environment will be reviewed in detail.
Document Type
Event
Presentation
A SmallSat in VLEO: The Orion Kraken Approach
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
The Orion Space Solutions' Kraken Mission, sponsored by DARPA and implemented by a science and engineering team led by Orion Space Solutions, will make in-situ and remote sensing space weather observations from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). The mission instrument suite will include Langmuir Probes, RF Impedance Probes, HF Sounders, Atomic Oxygen Sensors, Science Magnetometers, Floating Potential Probes, and Science Accelerometers. Long-term (approximately 4-6 month lifetime), repeated measurements of plasma density and other plasma and neutral parameters in this region are very rare, and the Kraken data is expected to contribute considerably to space weather and science modeling of VLEO. This paper will describe the highly integrated, comprehensive instrument suite and the unique small satellite design platform that are being developed for this path-finding mission. The approach to addressing orbit issues resulting from the relatively high drag and corrosive atomic oxygen environment will be reviewed in detail.
