Leveraging software-defined small satellites in cost effective constellations

Paper number

IAC-17,B4,7,6,x39815

Author

Mr. Alex da Silva Curiel, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), United Kingdom

Coauthor

Mrs. Anita Bernie, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), United Kingdom

Coauthor

Mrs. Nikki Jahn, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), United Kingdom

Coauthor

Mr. Luis Gomes, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), United Kingdom

Coauthor

Prof. Martin Sweeting, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), United Kingdom

Year

2017

Abstract

Small satellites have become attractive tools for a wide range of space missions, and now that they are being utilized in many commercial ventures, market forces will drive the technologies and production of small satellites into the direction of consumer electronics. This means standardization and commodity pricing for the hardware, and more emphasis on flexibility and re-configuration through software. The next logical step will be in fully software defined satellites, to link into consumer markets and the Internet Of Things. 

Groups of microsatellites and nanosatellites are well placed to address commercial applications that require global coverage or high temporal resolution, which cannot be achieved with individual satellites. CubeSat standards and interfaces in particular have made it much easier for organisations to develop small spacecraft cheaply and rapidly, and this in turn has led to an extensive ecosystem of companies providing suitable technologies and services. Easy access and relatively low CAPEX for these new concepts has initiated a “NewSpace” revolution with organisations planning to develop large constellations of small satellites, for often novel and new commercial business applications. 

Experience with the “Newspace” revolution of the mid 1990’s has shown that many of the stepwise technologies developments demonstrated on individual small satellites are combined by entrepreneurs, to develop operational satellites that are slightly larger but provide an optimum value. This is now already happening, and we have already seen 1U CubeSats being overtaken by 3U CubeSats, and 6U, 12U and even larger “CubeSats” emerging. 

This paper describes a satellite platform which permits CubeSat approaches to be used to scalable nanosatellites and constellations for commercial operational missions, with an ultimate aim to allow it to be largely software configured for its specific mission. Several example constellation mission designs are used to illustrate how increasing the mass and volume of a nanosatellite, can provide substantially higher returns in financial or instrument-hour terms. Furthermore, it will be shown that building in software configurability can support missions throughout its lifecycle and changing markets, and can lead to extremely low OPEX constellations.

Abstract document

IAC-17,B4,7,6,x39815.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-17,B4,7,6,x39815.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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