Two Missile Defense Agency nanosatellites — known as CubeSats — that
launched June 30 into low-earth orbit from the Mojave Air and Space
Port in California could play a large role in the future of U.S. missile
defense.
The CubeSat Networked Communications Experiment Block 1 — part of
MDA's Nanosat Testbed Initiative — uses small, low-cost satellites to
demonstrate networked radio communications between nanosatellites while
in orbit. MDA will conduct a 90-day demonstration, with a mission
extension of up to one year, to ensure the two CubeSats can navigate
properly, receive and send signals to radios and networks and operate as
intended.
"These satellites will test key technologies that mitigate risk for
systems, such as the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor,"
Walt Chai, MDA director for space sensors, said. "The CNCE Block 1
mission will demonstrate the viability of advanced communications
technologies using reduced size, weight and power in support of missile
defense communications architectures."
MDA is developing the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor
payload. When eventually deployed on satellites in low earth orbit, it
will detect and track hypersonic and ballistic missile threats and
provide critical data to the Missile Defense System and the warfighter.
"The missile defense architecture will require communications between
interceptors, sensors and command and control systems to quickly
identify, track and destroy incoming enemy missiles before they reach
their targets. The CubeSats will allow the agency to demonstrate the
capabilities quickly and affordably," Chai said.
CubeSat missions allow for flexibility that includes rapid follow-on
flights featuring planned, incremental technology improvements with
overall greater cost efficiency than using larger, more traditional
satellites.
"The ability to use CubeSats for low-cost access to space is
essential in maturing technologies for future applications in missile
defense," Shari Feth, head of the Innovation, Science and Technology
directorate at MDA, said. "For the NTI efforts, we only need something
small to take technology experiments to space in order to test in the
relevant environment and gather accurate data. CubeSats are the perfect
platform for this."
CubeSats are a subset of the small satellite family of satellite
systems known as nanosatellites. A small satellite is generally
considered to be any satellite that weighs less than 300 kilograms (660
pounds). Within the small satellite family, CubeSats are defined by
standardized characteristics such as shape, size and weight.
The standard CubeSat "unit" is referred to as a 1U. A 1U CubeSat is a
10 centimeter cube with a mass of up to about 1.33-1.5 kg. CubeSats
typically range in size from 1U to no more than 27U in size.
By conforming to very specific CubeSat standards, reduced mission
costs are realized — including costs associated with transporting
CubeSats to, and deploying them into, space, Feth said.
Most CubeSats are produced as commercial off-the-shelf products. This
is due, in part, to the standardization inherent to CubeSats, making
mass-produced components and off-the-shelf parts attractive for
commercial vendor production.
The cost per satellite is about $1.3 million versus hundreds of
millions required for traditional satellite construction. The hardware
was built, and the bus and payloads were integrated, under a Rapid
Innovation Fund contract.
"The ability to leverage the rapid advances in commercial CubeSat
technology, as well as the growing base of commercial small launch
providers, enables a unique testing capability never before
available," Eric Cole, NTI project lead for MDA, said. "The ability to
test in the relevant environment of space enables testing to achieve
higher technology readiness levels, making the technology transition
path into operational systems much more viable."
According to Jeff Keller, chief engineer for technology maturation at
MDA, a primary advantage to maturing technology through NTI is the
ability to divide complex challenges into discrete parts. "This allows
us to effectively balance risk and cost by utilizing a series of phased
demonstrations. Each mission leverages lessons learned from the previous
mission," he said.
The overall result is that engineering and development of CubeSats is
less costly than more highly customized small satellites. CubeSat
payloads also enjoy the cost benefits from commercial CubeSat
technology, but they tend to be more specialized for the missions
selected by the CubeSat user.
Commercial applications for CubeSats range from communications,
remote sensing to environmental applications. For MDA's CNCE Block 1
experiment, there could be commercial applications for the
communications technologies being demonstrated, Feth said.
"We leveraged the department's Small Business Innovation Research and
Rapid Innovation Funding programs to select the cutting edge CubeSat
vendors," Yazmin Carroll, director of MDA's technology maturation unit,
said. The vendors provide the spacecraft and payloads to meet the NTI
mission needs in support of key missile defense technology maturation."
MDA and industry have worked together to uniquely define and tailor a
quality, safety, and mission-assurance approach to balance risk and
technology development costs. MDA and industry have also worked together
to align industry standards and best practices to improve CubeSat
technology development efforts, Keller said.
The CubeSats went to space aboard a VOX Space LLC, a subsidiary of
Virgin Orbit, LauncherOne rocket as part of a payload-sharing
arrangement with the DOD Space Test Program.
Other agencies involved in CNCE Block 1's CubeSat development and
experimentation are: defense department-led Mobile CubeSat Command and
Control, or MC3, ground station network, Space Dynamics laboratory
(Mission Integrator), Space Micro Inc. (Payload) and Blue Canyon
Technologies (Spacecraft Bus).
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