Browse Topic: Satellites
The aerospace and defense industries demand the highest levels of reliability, durability, and performance from their electronic systems. Central to achieving these standards are laminate materials, which form the backbone of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible circuits used in a multitude of applications, from avionics to missile guidance systems. Building these systems, which are typically implemented in environments that experience both temperature extremes and wide variations of temperature over time, requires robust materials that can stand up to punishing environmental conditions. Laminates and films for circuit boards and flexible circuits are a vital component of this protective material profile.
Honda has long been at the cutting edge of mobility and tech, with everything from the Asimo robot of 20 years ago to plans for reusable rockets to launch lightweight satellites into orbit. During a Tech Day event in early October in Tochigi, Japan, the Japanese automaker announced further details of its upcoming Honda 0 architecture (Honda calls it “Honda Zero” but writes it with the number), its first in-house electric platform designed from the ground up. Honda also discussed some of the advanced manufacturing techniques it's pioneering to reach its core design and technology tenants.
Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian rock dust, an important piece in making long-term space travel possible.
The first CubeSat was launched in 1999; since then, more than 1,000 have been launched. The small size and relatively low cost have made CubeSats popular choices for commercial launches in recent years. The rapid development and application of nanosatellite technology has vastly accelerated mission complexity — sparking interest in robust, low-power, and high-specific-impulse micropropulsion systems.
Intelsat McLean, VA melissa.longo@intelsat.com
Imagine the Moon as a hub of manufacturing, construction, and even human life. It’s no longer a far-fetched idea baked in science fiction lore — increased interest and investment in space exploration are pushing efforts to develop the technologies needed to make the moon a viable home for humans.
Understanding how water moves and changes around the world is more important than ever due to climate change but monitoring inland water in the tropics is not easy. Most satellites are optical and simply take photos of surfaces. They cannot see through the thick cloud cover and dense vegetation that conceal the rivers, lakes, and wetlands below.
Satellite propulsion systems have traditionally been designed for high reliability over large-scale production. Engineered for specific, high-stakes missions, these systems are produced in limited quantities — often only a few dozen units or less. Today, the advent of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations is changing this dynamic, ushering in new commercial and military opportunities that involve deploying hundreds or thousands of satellites designed for research, telecommunications, and Earth observation applications.
The ForgeStar® program, from U.K.-based Space Forge, aims to harness the unique environment of space to create ultra-pure materials that cannot be replicated on Earth. The key opportunities lie in producing high-performance semiconductors and super-alloys with fewer defects and superior properties, thanks to the low-gravity and vacuum conditions of space. Space Forge's ForgeStar satellites will be used to produce advanced materials such as alloys, proteins and semiconductors in the ultra-vacuum and microgravity conditions of space. Manufacturing in low Earth orbit (LEO) has huge potential across sectors from medicine to advanced electronics. Two examples - high frequency amplifiers and super alloys - that Space Forge is focused are described in the next two paragraphs.
Reducing dust accumulation on any surface is key for lunar missions as dust can damage or impair the performance of everything from deployable systems to solar cells on the Moon’s surface. Electrodynamic dust shields (EDSs) are a key method to actively clean surfaces by running high voltages (but low currents) through electrodes on the surface. The forces generated by the voltage efficiently remove built up, electrically charged dust particles. Innovators at the NASA Kennedy Space Center have developed a new transparent EDS for removing dust from space and lunar solar cells among other transparent surfaces.
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 303-735-4900
Life for astronauts on the International Space Station has been, for the most part, less taxing than it was in the space shuttle days, when missions often included many goals and milestones compressed into a short period of time. That won’t be the case, however, for the first astronauts to journey to the surface of the Moon during the Artemis program, said Alexandra Whitmire, a NASA Scientist whose job concerns astronaut well-being and performance.
Manufacturing and servicing facilities in space are (finally) moving from the pages of science fiction to reality. For decades, we've seen movies with scenes of spacecraft being created and serviced in beautifully rendered factories with Earth in the background. And many more ideas have come from authors imagining bold futures where humanity does everything from creating giant nets of satellites to massive, spinning space stations. Some might lament that, back in reality, we’ve come so far with our achievements in space yet fallen short of the brightest visions. How can we have landed on the Moon 50 years ago and still be scrapping billion-dollar satellites when they run out of fuel? However, there’s good reason to believe that the space industry is almost done laying the foundations that will let us move from science fiction to engineering reality.
The vast expanse of space has long captivated humanity's imagination. Now, with advancements in technology, our gaze isn't solely focused on exploration, but on establishing a foothold beyond our planet. It was Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, who articulated the idea of interplanetary habitat. Since then, private parties led by hoards of young entrepreneurs are busy developing concepts for various features of the habitat and envisioning a demonstration by the end of this decade. Enter the concept of space factories — industrial facilities orbiting Earth or nestled on the Moon, ushering in a new era of space-based manufacturing. This article delves into the technologies that will bring these factories to life, their impact on the burgeoning space economy, and the profound benefits they hold for humanity on Earth and beyond.
With regards to any aerospace mission, it is very useful to have awareness about the state of vehicle, i.e., the information about its position, velocity, attitude, rotational rates and other concerned data such as control surface deflections, landing gear touchdown, working of mechanisms and so on. The sensor data from the vehicle that is communicated to the ground can be difficult to perceive and analyze. A frame work for real-time motion simulation of an aerospace vehicle from onboard telemetry data is henceforth developed in order to improve the understanding about the current state of the mission and aid in real-time decision making if required. The telemetry data, that is transmitted through User Datagram Protocol (UDP), is received and decoded to usable format. The visualization software accepts the data in a fixed time interval and applies the required transformations in order to ensure one-to-one correspondence between actual vehicle and simulation. The transformations
Launch vehicle structures in course of its flight will be subjected to dynamic forces over a range of frequencies up to 2000 Hz. These loads can be steady, transient or random in nature. The dynamic excitations like aerodynamic gust, motor oscillations and transients, sudden application of control force are capable of exciting the low frequency structural modes and cause significant responses at the interface of launch vehicle and satellite. The satellite interface responses to these low frequency excitations are estimated through Coupled Load Analysis (CLA). This analysis plays a crucial role in mission as the satellite design loads and Sine vibration test levels are defined based on this. The perquisite of CLA is to predict the responses with considerable accuracy so that the design loads are not exceeded in the flight. CLA validation is possible by simulating the flight experienced responses through the analysis. In the present study, the satellite interface responses are validated
Researchers from Stanford and the American University of Beirut have developed a lightweight, portable antenna that can communicate with satellites and devices on the ground, making it easier to coordinate rescue and relief efforts in disaster-prone areas. Stanford University, Stanford, California When an earthquake, flood, or other disaster strikes a region, existing communication infrastructure such as cell phone and radio towers are often damaged or destroyed. Restoring emergency communications as quickly as possible is vital for coordinating rescue and relief efforts. Researchers at Stanford University and the American University of Beirut (AUB) have developed a portable antenna that could be quickly deployed in disaster-prone areas or used to set up communications in underdeveloped regions. The antenna, described recently in Nature Communications, packs down to a small size and can easily shift between two configurations to communicate either with satellites or devices on the
L3Harris Technologies Melbourne, FL 585-465-3592
This study presents the constructed electromechanical model and the analysis of the obtained nonlinear systems. An algorithm for compensating the nonlinear drift of a gyroscope in a microelectromechanical system is proposed. Tests were carried out on a precision rotating base, with the angular velocity changing as per the program. Bench testing the gyroscope confirmed the results, which were also supported by the parameter calibration. The analytical method was further validated through experimental results, and a correction algorithm for the mathematical model was developed based on the test results. After calibration and adjusting the gyroscope’s systematic flaws, the disparity in calculating the precession angle was within 1/100th of an angular second over an interval of approximately 1000 s. Currently, research is underway on the new nonlinear dynamic characteristics of electrostatically controlled microstructures. The results of the integrated navigation system of small satellites
A new computer model tool, developed by researchers at the University of Bristol and based at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, could be used to train astronauts ahead of Lunar missions.
Intelsat McLean, VA 240-308-1881
The history of construction materials and methods has evolved over time, with Portland cement concrete being the most widely used material on Earth. Constructing habitats and infrastructure on the Moon and Mars, however, requires a different approach given the lack of such conventional construction resources and materials. Recognizing the need for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to support long-duration human missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Sidus Space have developed a novel three-dimensional print head apparatus using regolith-polymer mixtures as a building material.
Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a programmable steering wheel called the Tri-Rotor, which allows an astronaut the ability to easily operate a vehicle on the surface of a planet or Moon despite the limited dexterity of their spacesuit. This technology was originally conceived for the operation of a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) to improve upon previous Apolloera hand controllers. In re-evaluating the kinematics of the spacesuit, such as the rotatable wrist joint and the constant volume shoulder joint, engineers developed an enhanced and programmable hand controller that became the Tri-Rotor.
RMIT University’s Arnan Mitchell and University of Adelaide’s Dr. Andy Boes led an international team to review lithium niobate’s capabilities and potential applications in the journal Science. The team is working to make navigation systems that help rovers drive on the Moon — where GPS is unable to work — later this decade.
Lunar landing and launch pads represent critical infrastructure for enabling a sustained presence on the Moon or other planetary bodies. Such a Moon presence would require repeated lunar landings and takeoffs, preferably near an outpost or habitat. In the absence of takeoff and landing pads, such vehicles could project lunar regolith at high velocities, sandblasting the surrounding infrastructure and causing damage.
New algorithm strategies and diverse communication techniques are constantly emerging in the telecommunications realm that consumers, commercial, government, and military demand in order to push the boundaries of data throughput to receive information as quickly as possible. Currently, the Ku/Ka satellite band (20–30 GHz) becomes congested during peak service. There has been a strong demand for a wider bandwidth and higher data rate in both cellular and satellite communication service. As the carrier frequency increases, a wider bandwidth can be made available, and a higher data rate can be obtained with beamforming or precoding. Particularly, the V band (50–75 GHz) and W band (75–110 GHz) offer unprecedented broadband capabilities and extremely large contiguous allocations of bandwidth. This is the reason NASA and AFRL have been investigating these bands for civilian and military use.
NASA’s Artemis program consists of a series of missions designed to land humans on the Moon and establish a sustainable, continuing presence. A long-term foothold on the Moon’s surface enables invaluable research and testing opportunities that will set the stage for future groundbreaking missions, including the first human mission to Mars.
A team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that's creating a snake-like robot for traversing extreme terrain is taking on the challenge with the mentality of a startup: Build quickly, test often, learn, adjust, repeat. Called EELS (short for Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor), the self-propelled, autonomous robot was inspired by a desire to look for signs of life in the ocean hiding below the icy crust of Saturn's moon Enceladus by descending narrow vents in the surface that spew geysers into space.
Any plan for the long-term exploration or habitation of the Moon and Mars will almost certainly entail the use of multiple habitats, vehicles and remotely located equipment, all of which will require power sources.
New satellites equipped with Corning’s advanced hyperspectral-imaging technology can detect pipeline leaks and other environmental issues, providing precise monitoring and exploration capabilities for businesses and governments.
Researchers have developed an algorithm that can “eavesdrop” on any signal from a satellite and use it to locate any point on Earth, much like GPS. The study represents the first time an algorithm was able to exploit signals broadcast by multi-constellation low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, namely Starlink, OneWeb, Orbcomm, and Iridium.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Moussa N’Gom has devised a method to make communications between satellites and the ground more effective — regardless of the weather. N’Gom and his team used ultrafast, femtosecond lasers to cut through the clouds and rain that commonly cause losses in free-space optical communication (FSO).
Most space satellites are powered by photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity. Exposure to certain orbit radiation can damage the devices, degrading their performance and limiting their lifetime. University of Cambridge scientists have proposed a radiation-tolerant photovoltaic cell design that features an ultrathin layer of light-absorbing material.
NASA launches satellites, rovers, and orbiters to investigate humanity’s place in the Milky Way. When these missions reach their destinations, their scientific instruments capture images, videos, and valuable insights about the cosmos. Communications infrastructure in space and on the ground enables the data collected by these missions to reach Earth. Without ground stations to receive it, however, the extraordinary data captured by these missions would be stuck in space, unable to reach scientists and researchers on Earth.
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