Mini Satellites Could Revolutionize Space Industry

An anonymous reader writes "Space Daily reports that University of Toronto researchers are working on a project that could replace conventional satellites with a miniature version no larger than a milk carton. From the article: "At only 3.5 kilograms, the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment 2 (CanX-2) will test small, low-power devices that could lay the groundwork for flying formations of small satellites that could eventually replace larger, more expensive satellites."

Comments

Re:For some reason all that comes to mind

[Breakfast Pants]

I was reminded of Bruce Sterling's Think of the Prestige.

Re:forget satellites, what about probes:

[zardo]

Probably because one does a flyby while it shoots a bullet into the comet, meaning it can fly directly to it, the other has to match velocity with the comet as it's coming around the sun, which is harder to do with a limited fuel supply.

Re: Full article text - Real versions

[erbmjw]

First story from : http://www.utias-sfl.net/nanosatellites/CanX2/

The CanX-2 Mission

The CanX-2 Mission is the second "NanoSatellite" Mission at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). The Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiments (CanX) push the envelope of what can be achieved in space with small, low-power devices. With a focus on aggressive experimentation, CanX missions use the latest commercial technologies and manage moderate risks in exchange for low cost and quick turnaround. UTIAS/SFL is part of an international community of nanosatellite developers that share common launches to reduce costs.

At 3.5 kilograms and the size of a carton of milk, CanX-2 will be a pathfinder mission in 2006 to evaluate novel technologies that will be used on the CanX-4 / CanX-5 dual satellite mission in 2008 to demonstrate controlled formation flying in space. Formation flying technology will open the door to larger missions for highresolution Earth observation and interferometric imaging that can also be used for space astronomy. The technologies to be tested include a novel propulsion system, custom radios, innovative attitude sensors and actuators, and a commercial GPS receiver.

In addition to evaluating these miniature technologies, the satellite will also perform experiments for other university researchers across Canada. These include a GPS radio occultation experiment to characterize the upper atmosphere (Calgary), an atmospheric spectrometer to measure greenhouse gases (York), a network communications experiment (Carleton), and a space materials experiments (Toronto).





Second story from : http://www.spacedaily.com/news/microsat-05j.html

Canadian Researchers To Showcase CanX-2 Nanosat August 31

Toronto ON (SPX) Aug 30, 2005 University of Toronto researchers will demonstrate how a satellite the size of a milk carton that may revolutionize the space industry on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. at University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) Lecture Hall, 4925 Dufferin Street.

At only 3.5 kilograms, the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment 2 (CanX-2) will test small, low-power devices that could lay the groundwork for flying formations of small satellites that could eventually replace larger, more expensive satellites.

At the demonstration, researchers will control the CanX-2 nanosatellite through a wireless radio link and download real-time images and telemetry from on-board equipment including a GPS-based positioning system, a miniature propulsion system and tiny devices used for sensing and controlling the satellite's orientation in space.

"The point of this mission is two-fold," says Professor Robert Zee, managing director of the UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory (SFL).

"The first is to provide complete development cycle training for students through a real space mission that has to be completed in two years. The second is to launch a tiny research platform into space to test innovative, revolutionary technologies in a rapid, risk-taking manner and also to perform important science missions that are now benefiting from the availability of smaller and smaller instrumentation."

CanX-2 is the second nanosatellite mission at UTIAS/SFL. CanX-1, Canada's first nanosatellite and one of the smallest satellites ever built, was launched with the MOST microsatellite in 2003 by Eurockot Launch Services from Plesetsk, Russia.

Sidebar to Second story

In collaboration with researchers from across Canada, the primary mission of CanX-2 will be a GPS radio occultation experiment to determine vertical profiles of atmospheric properties. It will also perform a number of additional experiments including mobile ad-hoc networking, autonomous control, advanced surface mate

Re:Surrey Satellite Technology Limited..

[efuseekay]

Yeap.

They launched the 6kg SNAP a few years back, I was one of the early designers of that little guy. They actually put 3 momentum wheels for tri-axis attitude control on it eventually.

http://sstl.co.uk// /me worked there about 10 years back when they were beginning to bloom.....

Surrey Satellites have been doing this for ages

[copperbeech]

http://www.sstl.co.uk/index.php?loc=47 Surrey satellites have been making micro-satellites and nano-satellites for a while. So what's new?

Re:MOD PARENT DOWN -- TROLLING OPPORTUNIST

[EtherealStrife]

arundatarchi is the Troll, not erbmjw. Check the article, he's making up the references. And they're pretty obvious too. And for the non-physicists/astronomers/etc:

interferometer: an instrument that utilizes the interference of waves (as of light) for precise determinations (as of distance or wavelength)
occultation: the interruption of the light from a celestial body or of the signals from a spacecraft by the intervention of a celestial body

Etc... arundatarchi gave me a laugh, I'll admit.

Re:In what way is this new?

[Nowhere.Men]

There are application that can be done with a series of small satellite. Like radar imagery. One who send the pulse the other to receive its echo. You replace meters long antena with small satellites. You can also have a global view of the world looking at several place at the same time. Cluster is a 4 pieces mission, with smaller and cheaper S/C you can extend this concept. What is more interesting is the technology that has to be developed. Small truster, small earthy/S/C link, ... Also to be cheap, such mission must have minimal human intervention to send command, check S/C status, flight dynamics calculation, ... The S/C must have a lot of autonomy.

NASA already has projects like this

[bjomo]

NASA already has a couple nanosat programs that will fly in formation. They are sometimes refered to as constellation missions.

ST-5
http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/st5/

THEMIS
http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/themis/flash.html

These are the two that I know off the top of my head.

Interstellar propulsion FAQ

[ngr8]

The author Paul Glister's blog @ Centauri Dreams keeps tabs on new propulsion technologies ++ space geek topics in general.

One technology, Mini-Magnetospheric Plasma Propulsion (M2P2) comes complete with a 7 meg flying coffee can flash demo.

Glister's book, Centauri Dreams, gives me some hope that science and discovery will drive NASA again.