SPACE in NEWS

Japan halts rocket launch at last minute

Japan stopped its satellite rocket launch just seconds before lift-off after discovering a glitch.

Aug., 28, 2013 -The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) cancelled the launch of the first Epsilon Launch Vehicle (Epsilon-1) with the Spectroscopic Planet Observatory for Recognition of Interaction of Atmosphere (SPRINT-A) onboard from the Uchinoura Space Center, yesterday.
An automatic stop alarm was issued as an attitude abnormality was detected approximately 19 seconds prior to the lift-off time during the automatic countdown sequence. The launch had been originally scheduled for 0445 UTC. JAXA said it is currently investigating the cause. The agency did not announce a new launch date.
JAXA had planned to launch the Epsilon rocket from Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, on Aug., 27, 2013 using just two laptop computers in a pared-down command centre.

But the countdown was automatically stopped just 19 seconds before the planned blast-off "as an emergency measure due to some abnormal positioning" of the rocket, a JAXA spokeswoman said.

"We cancelled today's launch and can't say anything about the timing of our next launch, as the cause of the trouble is still unknown," the spokeswoman said.

The three-stage Epsilon - 24 metres long and weighing 91 tonnes - was scheduled to release the telescope SPRINT-A at an altitude of 1000 kilometres.

SPRINT-A is the world's first space telescope for remote observation of planets including Venus, Mars and Jupiter from its orbit around Earth, the agency said.

The Epsilon is about half the size of the nation's liquid-fuelled H2-A rocket and a successor to the solid fuel M-5 rocket that was retired in 2006 because of its high cost.

The small-sized rocket is equipped with artificial intelligence "for the first time in the world" that allows autonomous checks by the rocket itself, JAXA said.

"It also allows us to carry out launching procedures, including ignition, through only two laptop computers," another JAXA spokeswoman said.

At the control centre only eight workers were engaged in the launch operation, compared with about 150 people usually needed when JAXA launches its mainstream H2-A rocket.  Source

China’s Mystery Satellite Could Be a Dangerous New Weapon — War is Boring — Medium

The SY-7 is one of three Chinese satellites doing some very strange things in orbit

On July 29, a Chinese Long March-4C rocket blasted into space from the northern Taiyuan Space Center carrying three secretive, experimental satellites. Not really all that unusual by itself — a robotic arm reportedly on one of the satellites could be involved in testing for Beijing’s far-off space station program.

But once they were in orbit, the satellites began acting very, very strangely.

More precisely, one of the satellites, known as SY-7, was moving all over the place and was appearing to make close-in rendezvous’s with other satellites. It was so strange, space analysts wondered whether China was testing a new kind of space weapon — one that could intercept other satellites and more or less claw them to death.

It’s not as crazy as it sounds. The U.S. has experimented with anti-satellite weapons, and is even researching how to cannibalize satellites in orbit. China has even blown up one of its own satellites with a missile. That caused an international outcry considering the giant cloud of debris which has come close to imperiling space travel for a century. But a claw might be more discreet.

Most satellites are pretty dumb, in the sense that they don’t really move around a whole lot except in a fixed orbit. Doing much more than that requires sophisticated guidance, navigation and control systems to the point where the satellite becomes something more like an unmanned spaceship.

Have those things, and you have the rudimentary steps to maneuver in the path of other satellites. Once you’re there, you then might want to use the maneuverable satellite to conduct inspections or repairs — or even potentially attack other (more helpless) satellites. More ...

NASA tests limits of 3-D printing with powerful rocket engine
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NASA has tested its largest 3-D printed rocket engine component so far on 22 August during an engine firing that generated a record 89 kN of thrust.

The component tested during the engine firing, an injector, delivers propellants to power an engine and provides the thrust necessary to send rockets to space. During the injector test, liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen passed through the component into a combustion chamber and produced 10 times more thrust than any injector previously fabricated using 3-D printing.

The component was manufactured using selective laser melting. This method built up layers of nickel-chromium alloy powder to make the complex, subscale injector with its 28 elements for channeling and mixing propellants. The part was similar in size to injectors that power small rocket engines. It was similar in design to injectors for large engines, such as the RS-25 engine that will power NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for deep space human missions to an asteroid and Mars.

One of the keys to reducing the cost of rocket parts is minimising the number of components. This injector had only two parts, whereas a similar injector tested earlier had 115 parts. Fewer parts require less assembly effort, which means complex parts made with 3-D printing have the potential for significant cost savings.

Early data from the test, conducted at pressures up to 6,900 Pa in a vacuum and at almost 3,600 K, indicate the injector worked flawlessly. In the days to come, engineers will perform computer scans and other inspections to scrutinise the component more closely.   Source: NASA PR

Three Khrunichev officials sacked after Proton crash

A government commission has determined the degree of guilt of Khrunichev space centre executives responsible for the 2 July Proton rocket launch failure, Russia's Vice-Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin was quoted as saying.

For failing to properly perform their duties in preparing the rocket carrying three GLONASS-M satellites for launch, the centre's deputy director general for quality control, Alexander Kobzar, head of the assembly shop Valery Grekov and head of the technical control department Mikhail Lebedev are dismissed, Mr. Rogozin said, reporting first conclusions of the government commission he heads.

Several other officials had been brought to account for not ensuring proper use of appropriate technologies and control over assembly work, Mr. Rogozin said. Asked who would determine the responsibility of Roskosmos officials, the official said this would be for the government to decide, based on the report he would present to Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev.

Mr. Rogozin said blame among engineers and technical workers at the space centre would be determined by the enterprise management. The government commission did not deal with the activities of assembly workers, he said, adding that this was an issue of organisation of work at the centre itself.    Source: Itar-Tass

Technology’s role in space innovation

Satellite servicing is one emerging space application that relies on technology development, but also needs a strong business case.

The space industry is often extremely focused on technology, with many believing it is the solution to all the problems facing spaceflight today. If only there was a higher performance rocket engine, a higher efficiency solar cell, a more robust life support system, and so on, they argue, we have a bright future in store for us in space.

It’s true that technology development is an essential aspect of spaceflight, including new commercial applications in space. However, technology alone is usually not sufficient to enable those new markets or new missions. A technology that is unaffordable, or doesn’t help close a business case, does little to advance a market or a mission. As several panelists at the recent NewSpace 2013 conference, held last month by the Space Frontier Foundation in San Jose, California, discussed, those technological advances must be viewed with an eye towards practical applications, and that sometimes the key is not a new technology, but an innovative way of making use of existing technologies.

A new, yet familiar, name in satellite servicing

One emerging market closely tied to advances in space technology is satellite servicing. The ability to extend the life of existing satellites running low on stationkeeping propellant, or repair satellites that have suffered malfunctions, requires technologies that can perform such servicing with a level of maturity that can assure the owners of those satellites—who are often relatively risk-averse—that such work can be carried out without further damaging or disabling their spacecraft.

Many of those technical challenges are being addressed by NASA’s Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), a series of technology demonstrations being performed on the International Space Station. A Japanese HTV cargo spacecraft launched earlier this month brought to the station a new set of experiments for the RRM to carry out, demonstrating the ability of a robotic servicer to refuel and repair a satellite that was not designed for on-orbit servicing. “We realize that there are still hurdles to be overcome,” said Ben Reed, deputy project manager of NASA’s Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office, during a panel session at NewSpace 2013. “Our job is to continue to chip away at them to make this viable for a commercial partner.”

Those hurdles, he acknowledged, are not just technical: satellite servicing brings with it other challenges as well, from the policy implications of being able to service satellites to whether there’s a business case for satellite servicing. The business case in particular has yet to be demonstrated: while Intelsat and Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) signed an agreement in 2011 where Intelsat would be a customer of an MDA-developed satellite servicer, the companies dissolved the agreement a year later when they couldn’t find additional customers for the proposed system.

That difficulty may be linked to the lack of demonstration of those technologies. “For commercial business, I’m not after ‘wicked cool’ technology. For commercial business, you need sweet, simple, low-risk, easy to control, reliable technology to do wicked cool missions,” said Jim Armor, vice president of strategy and business development at ATK, which is a partner in satellite servicing company Vivisat. That venture has focused on the less technically challenging business of providing stationkeeping and propulsion for satellites, rather than full-fledged repair services, but with a long-term vision of providing infrastructure and logistics to support commercial space ventures beyond Earth orbit as well. More

Propulsion without propellants for satellite positioning, space exploration

Propulsion without propellants for satellite positioning, space exploration New electromagnetic propulsion technology is being tested by the University of Maryland's Space Power and Propulsion Laboratory (SPPL) on the International Space Station. It could reduce spacecraft's reliance on propellants and extending the lifecycle of satellites through the use of a renewable power source.

Because a finite propellant payload is often the limiting factor on the number of times a satellite can be moved or repositioned in space, a new propulsion method that uses a renewable, onboard electromagnetic power source and does not rely on propellants could exponentially extend a satellite's useful life span and provide greater scientific return on investment.

Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering Ray Sedwick and his research team have been developing technology that could enable electromagnetic formation flight (EMFF), which uses locally generated electromagnetic forces to position satellites or spacecraft without relying on propellants. Their research project is titled Resonant Inductive Near-field Generation System, or RINGS.

RINGS was sent to the International Space Station on 3 August as part of a payload launched on Japan's HTV-4 Cargo Ship from the Tanegashima Space Center. The project is scheduled for four test sessions on the research station. Astronauts will unpack the equipment, integrate it into the test environment and run diagnostics. From there, RINGS will undergo three science research sessions where data will be collected and transmitted back to the ground for analysis.

RINGS is composed of two units, each of which contains a specially fabricated coil of aluminium wire that supports an oscillating current of up to 18 A and is housed within a protective polycarbonate shell. Microcontrollers ensure that the currents oscillate either in-phase or out-of-phase to produce attracting, repelling and even shearing forces. While aluminium wire was chosen for its low density in this research prototype, eventual systems would employ superconducting wires to significantly increase range and performance.

In addition to EMFF, the RINGS project is also being used to test a second technology demonstrating wireless power transfer (WPT). WPT may offer a means to wirelessly transfer power between spacecraft and in turn power a fleet of smaller vessels or satellites. Having the power to support multiple satellites, and using EMFF as a propellant-less means to reposition those same satellites, provides the flexibility to perform formation control manoeuvres such as on-orbit assembly or creating synthetic aperture arrays. A synthetic aperture array uses a network of smaller antennas to function collectively as one large antenna. Larger antennas are capable of producing higher resolution images and better quality data.

SPPL began work on RINGS in 2011, and the project is funded under a joint DARPA/NASA programme that aims to demonstrate and develop new technologies that could enable future space missions by using a network of smaller spacecraft.

For more information on SPPL, visit www.sppl.umd.edu

Also see UMD Propulsion Technology

University of Stuttgart developed ultra-fast satellite computer

University of Stuttgart developed ultra-fast satellite computer , one of the fastest and most compact satellite computers in the work was introduced recently by the University of Stuttgart, Germany. The computer is the centrepiece of the small satellite platform "Flying Laptop," which was developed by students at the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart with the support of the Baden-Württemberg space industry.

At the beginning of 2014, the Stuttgart small satellite with three camera systems is to record, among other things, shipping movements and vegetation measurements, as well as testing various technologies under space conditions.

The new computer integrates the function of an on-board computer with that of a power supply unit. It belongs to the fastest available satellite computers worldwide, however it is considerably more compact and therefore suitable for small technology satellites, for example at the European Space Agency ESA or the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and in particular also for the other satellites in the Stuttgart small satellite programme.

In contrast to the computers of many small university satellites, it is based on radiation hardened microchips and thus guarantees a corresponding lifespan in orbit. The development and manufacture of the small satellite Flying Laptop according to industrial standards was predominantly realised from funds from the university and the state of Baden-Württemberg as well as provisions from various partners, including Astrium GmbH. The DLR aerospace management pledged appropriate support of €800,000 for the start of the small satellite as a piggy-back satellite.

Source: University of Stuttgart PR

Chandrayaan 2 without Russian participation

Chandrayaan 2 without Russian participation.

ISRO has decided to build and launch its second lunar mission, Chandrayaan 2, without Russian help. Originally, Roskosmos was to provide a lander that would ferry an Indian rover to explore the moon's surface.

It had already become obvious that the mission wouldn't be launched this year as initially planned. According to Indian news reports, Russia reviewed its inter-planetary missions after the failure of the Fobos-Grunt mission. Roskosmos suggested a heavier lander and a launch aboard a Soyuz in 2015 or 2017, instead of India's GSLV as originally planned. The 2015 opportunity could also involve a stricter mass limitation for the rover and entitle a higher risk.

However, part of the problem is that Chandrayaan 2 was designed to be lofted by a GSLV Mk-III, which however isn't available yet. Launch aboard the available GSLV basic version would have required shaving off mass from the project.

ISRO then decided to conduct a high level review of the Chandrayaan 2 programme under the chairmanship of Prof. U. R. Rao. The study recommended that the India could itself realise a lander module in a few years and that it could go in for the mission on its own.

Details of changes in the configuration and the mission profile are under finalisation. The Hindu quoted a senior ISRO official as saying the work on the programme was progressing apace and the mission is likely to take place in three years.

Source: PTI, The Hindu

Proton Launch Failure Findings Released To ILS

A summary of the findings on the root cause and corrective action plan following the failure of the July 2 Proton M Block DM mission, which carried three GLONASS navigational satellites for the Russian Federal Government, has been released to International Launch Services (ILS) upon being cleared by Russian security.

    The summary indicates that the most probable root cause of the failure was due to the improper installation of the three yaw angular rate sensors located on the Proton launch vehicle, which caused the vehicle to deviate from its flight path shortly after lift-off.

    The ILS Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB), which consists of ILS customers, industry subject experts, and insurance industry representatives, will begin on August 9. The FROB will provide an independent review of the investigation, probable root cause and corrective actions required prior to return to commercial flight, in accordance with U.S. and Russian government export control regulations. After the conclusion of the FROB, tentatively set for August 16, the board’s report will be briefed to ILS customers and the launch insurance industry. Source