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Sent moonward over two years ago, NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment — mercifully shortened to CAPSTONE – is trial-running techniques to enhance spacecraft operations in cis-lunar space.

Launched on June 28, 2022 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron booster from New Zealand, CAPSTONE — a microwave oven-sized CubeSat weighing a modest 55 pounds — is on task assessing Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) operations.

Artemis Gateway

NRHO is the locale of NASA’s cislunar Gateway space station. That outpost is to shore up long-term human exploration of the Moon, allowing crews to access the lunar south pole – an early priority zone for the space agency’s Artemis program.

Advanced Space of Westminster, Colorado owns and operates CAPSTONE for the entirety of its mission.

Find out what CAPSTONE is doing on its slate of on-duty tasks by reading my new SpaceNews story – at:

https://spacenews.com/nasa-capstone-testing-autopilot-software-suite-cislunar-operations/

The largest stratospheric balloon ever to be launched from Sweden’s Esrange Space Center is on its way to its destination in North America.

Its mission is to study X-rays in the polar atmosphere.

Toted skyward by the huge balloon on July 13, an onboard experiment aims to take the first high-resolution images of X-ray radiation from so-called electron microbursts.  

This precipitation only occurs in certain places in the Earth’s magnetic field.

BOOMS payload

As noted by a Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) statement, the Balloon Observation of Microburst Scales (BOOMS) payload is a high-resolution imager.

Given the balloon’s projected altitude, BOOMS enables study of radiation that would otherwise be blocked by Earth’s atmosphere.

“Qualification of this balloon will allow NASA to continue to stretch the boundaries of what we provide to the scientific community,” says Andrew Hamilton, Director of NASA’s Balloon Program Office in the SSC statement.

Follow the flight in real-time:

https://www.csbf.nasa.gov/map/balloon4/Google741NT.htm

Go to this video for the delicate art of launching a giant, instrument-carrying balloon at:

https://sscspace.canto.global/s/NBHUN?viewIndex=1&column=video&id=5gv1ro9ood5ddad3d3kks0t54l

In charting the actions of future foot soldiers on Mars, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) has been busily addressing knowledge gaps for planetary protection of the Red Planet.

Established in 1958, COSPAR is a prestigious scientific confab of international researchers, anchored in tackling problems that may affect space exploration.

A COSPAR Principles and Guidelines for Human Missions to Mars has been scripted by a top-tier panel of experts on planetary protection.

Back contamination

“The intent of this planetary protection policy is the same whether a mission to Mars is conducted robotically or with human explorers,” the document explains.

As such, planetary protection goals should not be relaxed to accommodate a human mission to Mars, the document notes. “Rather, they become even more directly relevant to such missions—even if specific implementation requirements must differ.”

General principles include:

— Safeguarding the Earth from potential back contamination is the highest planetary protection priority in Mars exploration.

— The greater capability of human explorers can contribute to the astrobiological exploration of Mars only if human associated contamination is controlled and understood.

— For a landed mission conducting surface operations, it will not be possible for all human-associated processes and mission operations to be conducted within entirely closed systems.

— Crewmembers exploring Mars, or their support systems, will inevitably be exposed to martian materials.

Monitoring of microbes

The COSPAR panel has made specific implementation guidelines for human missions to the Red Planet.

For instance, human missions will carry microbial populations that will vary in both kind and quantity, and it will not be practicable to specify all aspects of an allowable microbial population or potential contaminants at launch of an expeditionary crew to Mars.

Once any baseline conditions for launch are established and met, continued monitoring and evaluation of microbes carried by human missions will be required to address both forward and backward contamination concerns.

Quarantine

Akin to steps taken by early Apollo moon landings in that program, a quarantine capability for both the entire crew and for individual crewmembers shall be provided during and after the mission, “in case potential contact with a martian life-form occurs,” the COSPAR document adds.

A comprehensive planetary protection protocol for human missions to Mars should be developed, one that encompasses both forward and backward contamination concerns, and addresses the combined human and robotic aspects of the mission, including subsurface exploration, sample handling, and the return of the samples and crew to Earth.

Special regions

Neither robotic systems nor human activities should contaminate “Special Regions” on Mars, as defined by the COSPAR policy.

A Special Region is defined as a region within which terrestrial organisms brought from Earth are likely to replicate.

Any region which is interpreted to have a high potential for the existence of extant martian life forms is also defined as a Special Region, explains the COSPAR panel.

Regions like gullies, bright streaks associated with gullies, subsurface cavities, the subsurface below roughly 16 feet (5 meters) are called out in the document.

So too are those perplexing Recurrent Slope Lineae, or RSL for short.

RSL’s are observed simultaneous incremental growth of flows on a warm slope, fading, and recurrence of this sequence in multiple Mars years.

Over the years, RSLs have been suggested by some experts to be a product of salty water flows occurring during the warmest months on Mars. On the other hand, other Mars scientists believe they are dry grains that stream down slopes.

Send in the robots

The COSPAR panel points out that any uncharacterized martian site should be evaluated first by robotic means prior to human crews gaining access.

Furthermore, any pristine samples or sampling components from any uncharacterized sites or Special Regions on Mars should be treated as restricted Earth return, with the proper handling and testing protocols.

That is, there’s need to rigorously preclude backward contamination of Earth by extraterrestrial life to prevent potentially harmful consequences for humans and the Earth’s biosphere.

Conservative approach

As for who gives the planetary protection orders on Mars, the COSPAR document says a crewmember should be given primary responsibility for the implementation of planetary protection provisions affecting the crew during the expedition.

The COSPAR thinking is that planetary protection requirements for initial human missions “should be based on a conservative approach consistent with a lack of knowledge of martian environments and possible life, as well as the performance of human support systems in those environments.”

For later human sojourns to Mars, planetary protection rules of the road “should not be relaxed without scientific review, justification, and consensus,” the COSPAR document says.

For detailed information regarding COSPAR and its work, go to:

https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/

 

Wait-a-minute: A misbehaving SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage has led to Starlink satellites each taking destructive dives, willy-nilly style, into the Earth’s atmosphere.

The July 11 liftoff of the SpaceX Starlink Group 9-3 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California was a definite dud, with several of the 20 Starlinks already nearing their plunge to oblivion according to The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS).

To keep an eye on incoming Starlinks associated with the rare SpaceX upper stage mishap, go to https://aerospace.org/cords

 

 

Eccentric orbit

As explained in a SpaceX posting, Falcon 9’s second stage performed its first burn nominally, “however a liquid oxygen leak developed on the second stage.”

After a planned relight of the upper stage engine to raise the lowest point of orbit, that stage’s Merlin Vacuum engine experienced an anomaly and was unable to complete its second burn.

“Although the stage survived and still deployed the satellites, it did not successfully circularize its orbit,” SpaceX explained, but the stage did passivate itself, a step normally performed at the end of each mission.

This left the satellites in an eccentric orbit, SpaceX added, with a very low perigee to Earth of under 85 miles (135 kilometers) altitude, which is less than half the expected perigee altitude.

Incident investigation

“No public injuries or public property damage have been reported,” reports the Federal Aviation Administration that is now requiring an investigation of the incident.

“An investigation is designed to further enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again,” states the FAA.

Furthermore, the FAA must approve SpaceX’s final report, including any corrective actions.

“A return to flight is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety,” the FAA explains. “In addition, SpaceX may need to request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates any corrective actions and meet all other licensing requirements.”

I’ll raise you

According to SpaceX, the satellites were left in an enormously high-drag environment as they circuited the Earth.

At that level of drag, “our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be enough to successfully raise the satellites.”

The Starlink satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and “fully demise,” SpaceX added. “They do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”

Fully demise

The term “fully demise” is worth a note here.

Evidence is mounting that the high-heating of spacecraft materials as they plow through the atmosphere at high speeds do off-load chemistry into the Earth’s upper stratosphere. How destructive to the atmosphere that process is remains in research mode.

Then there’s the issue of spacecraft pieces that do find their way to Earth’s surface, be it ocean or land.

Increased activity

Meanwhile, satellite tracker T.S. Kelso and the CelesTrak chief, has been monitoring all 20 Starlink spacecraft, eyeing their individual decay rates as they circle Earth.

“At least geomagnetic activity is low (normal) right now,” Kelso told Inside Outer Space, but NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center is forecasting increased activity today.

CelesTrak ‘s mission is focused on making data and other resources freely available to the space community “to facilitate understanding of our orbital environment and how to use it safely and responsibly.”

Uptick in skyfall

All in all, SpaceX and company leftovers falling from the heavens have garnered increased attention.

Last May, the remainders of a SpaceX Dragon “trunk” from its Crew-7 mission peppered separate sites in North Carolina.

While Starlink’s construction and the Dragon trunk design are worlds apart, the uptick from uncontrolled riff-raff coming down is a growing, worrisome trend.

For one, the list of other trunk dumps that survived their fiery skyfall also includes Australia, as well as Canada.

As reported by Canada’s CBC News, SpaceX employees visited a farm near Ituna, Saskatchewan, northeast of Regina, whisking away a number of trunk fragments in a U-haul trailer.

The farmer that owns the property where the clutter came to full-stop was later compensated by SpaceX, CBC reports, for an undisclosed amount. Some of that money was subsequently donated to installation of a new local hockey rink.

 

Hot-lines

For its part, SpaceX has established a “SpaceX debris hot line” call-in number, as well as a “recovery@spaceX.com” email address.

“If you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly. Instead, please either email or leave a voice mail here with your name, number, and a brief description of what you have discovered and where,” the hot-line phone message explains.

“Teams are actively monitoring both message boxes and will ensure the notification is handled appropriately,” the recording adds. “If you have concerns about an immediate hazard, please contact your local law enforcement agency. Thank you, your assistance is greatly appreciated.”

Not sure if any recovered Starlink bits and pieces can use these same hot lines, but why not?

“I wish I may, I wish I might…Have the wish I wish tonight.”

Inspiration4 was the world’s first all-civilian mission to climb into orbit, a four-person crew transported skyward atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The privately-funded commercial mission took place September 16-18, 2021.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft was commanded by the well-heeled Jared Isaacman, entrepreneur, founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments. Get familiar with the name as he’s lead spaceman for the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission, a three-flight program all backed and commanded by the tech billionaire.

Raffle for liftoff

On Inspiratio4, Isaacman’s nongovernment crewmates were Sian Proctor, Hayley Arceneaux, and Chris Sembroski. This low-Earth orbit three-day, “tourist-class” expedition was procured by Isaacman, the flight itself and the Dragon spacecraft’s four seats. Two of those seats were donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, used to ignite a highly successful fund-raising and awareness campaign for the hospital.

A raffle was held, in which a seat-hungry entrant was picked, but that winner gave up his place in space to fellow raffle entrant and friend throughout college, Chris Sembroski – and as they say, the rest is history.

I caught up with Sembroski last month via video link at a dazzling pre-grand opening event of Home Beyond Earth, an impressive and immersive new exhibition at The Museum of Flight in Seattle.

Go to my new Space.com story –‘Drawn to our planet:’ How spaceflight changed SpaceX Inspiration4 astronaut Chris Sembroski -“Even though I felt physically separated from Earth, I felt more drawn to our planet than I had before – at:

https://www.space.com/spacex-inspiration4-mission-chris-sembroski-interview

The Moon needs power!

That’s the on-switch approach suggested in the House NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024.

A “Lunar Power Purchase Agreement Program” is in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee language just released.

Independent entity

It authorizes NASA to enter into an arrangement with an independent entity to conduct a study on the feasibility of using power purchase agreements to facilitate the development and deployment of lunar surface power.

“The study will identify the needed infrastructure and capabilities to support lunar surface power production, forecast the demand for lunar surface power, and consider associated policy and legal challenges,” according to the language.

Anywhere on the Moon

Whatever the outcome of pushing this concept forward it could be energized by the Moon plans in the making by Blue Origin.

Since 2021, the group has been making solar cells and transmission wire from Moon regolith simulants – Earth-made lunar turf that mimics the real stuff.

Their approach is called Blue Alchemist.

“To make long-term presence on the Moon viable, we need abundant electrical power,” explains a Blue Origin statement. “We can make power systems on the Moon directly from materials that exist everywhere on the surface, without special substances brought from Earth. We have pioneered the technology and demonstrated all the steps. Our approach, Blue Alchemist, can scale indefinitely, eliminating power as a constraint anywhere on the Moon.”

Deployable solar arrays

Last year, NASA selected a trio of companies at the tune of $19.4 million to further advance work on deployable solar array systems for the Moon.

These three companies are to build prototypes and perform environmental testing, with the goal of deploying one of the systems near the Moon’s south sole near the end of this decade:

Astrobotic Technology: $6.2 million

Honeybee Robotics: $7 million

Lockheed Martin: $6.2 million

Generate, distribute, store power

Also weighing in on lunar surface power needs is the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium, run by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). It operates in collaboration with the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Surface Power Focus Area experts are looking into technologies that generate, distribute, and store power in the harsh lunar surface environment. The intent of this research is to arrive at power systems that enable sustained presence and exploration.

Topics include fission surface power, solar power, low-temperature batteries, fuel cells, wireless transmission, long-distance transmission, power electronics, and grid-scale energy storage.

“Above us in the heavens, an intergalactic land grab is unfolding,” explains an upcoming HBO documentary Wild Wild Space, premiering on HBO and Max next Wednesday, July 17.

“It’s a fast-paced and high-stakes race in which rockets and satellites are taking over low earth orbit to gain control over our planet,” explains a press statement focused on the upcoming documentary’s release.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman, the film focuses on the intense rivalry between two visionaries and founders of contesting rocket companies: Chris Kemp of Astra and Peter Beck of Rocket Lab.

Dark $ide

Kauffman follows the rollercoaster journey of these tech startups vying for a piece of uncharted space territory. 

 

 

 

“From exhilarating triumphs to gut-wrenching setbacks, we witness the fierce competition to seize humanity’s next great frontier,” adds the statement.

“But beneath the shiny veneer of progress is the dark side of capitalism’s insatiable appetite for profit.”

 

 

Go to this trailer at:

https://youtu.be/Q50dAiKB4lI?si=eZGT-2ZGLhNCY5HZ

Details regarding China’s plan to return samples from Mars spotlights the country’s work on planetary protection – not only to protect the Red Planet from hitchhiking Earth microbes but also guard our biosphere and we Earthlings from the prospect of hauling back Mars biology.

The importance of planetary protection in China’s deep space exploration plans is reportedly “fully recognized” as the country moves forward on its Tianwen-3 mission.

Hauling back the goods

Projected to rocket back samples from Mars in the 2030 time period, Tianwen-3 would technologically mirror in many ways China’s Moon sampler probes: the Chang’e-5 near side specimen return in December 2020 and last month’s Chang’e-6’s two-day “grab, stash and go” of lunar far side collectibles.

Tianwen-3 will also build upon China’s successful Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter/lander/rover mission launched in July 2020.

That lander/rover combination soft landed on the Red Planet in May 2021. The lander’s Zhurong rover reconnoitered the southern part of the Mars Utopia Planitia.

But hauling back the goods from Mars adds new complexity, as well as how best to safely handle the samples once on Earth.

 

COSPAR presentation

Research on planetary protection technology in China was highlighted during a special Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) “Planetary Protection Week” held last April.

The event was staged at the Royal Society in London, hosted by the Open University’s Astrobiology research group and funded by the UK Space Agency as part of the International Bilateral Fund. 

Among the presentations, Kanyan Xu of the Laboratory of Space Microbiology, Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group, Chinese Academy of Space Technology in Beijing, China, outlined planetary protection work in China’s deep space exploration projects.

Strict measures

“China fully recognizes the importance of planetary protection in achieving the scientific goals of the Tianwen-3 mission and ensuring the biosafety of the Earth,” Kanyan reported to COSPAR. “Strict forward and backward planetary protection measures will be taken.”

As noted in the Kanyan presentation, the Tianwen-1 Mars mission was China’s first planetary protection Category IV mission.

The Tianwen-1 mission did not carry Mars life detection instruments. It did not come into contact with Martian “special regions,” thus it was classed as a Category IVa undertaking: Category IVa is for lander systems not carrying instruments designed for searching for evidence of extant life on Mars.

The term special regions are locales on Mars within which terrestrial organisms are likely to replicate or have a high potential for the existence of extant, now present, martian life forms.

The Category IVa definition calls for bioburden levels on the spacecraft’s surface  restricted to below ≤ [Less-Than or Equal To] 3 × 10⁵ spores with an average of ≤ 300 spores per square meter.

Clarified requirements

Kanyan’s presentation states that China space specialists, for the Tianwen-1 mission, established a planetary protection team and clarified the requirements for planetary protection including bioburden control, probability of Mars impact, organic inventory, etc.

Major planetary protection measures included: cleanroom for assembly, integration, and testing (AIT); microbial examination; cleaning, disinfection and sterilization; recontamination control and organic inventory.

The pre-launch bioassay of Tianwen-1 showed the bioburden level of the probe met the requirements for Category IVa missions, Kanyan noted.

Microbial database

For China’s projected Mars sample return mission, the Kanyan presentation points out that it falls into a Category V effort that designates a restricted Earth return: the outbound leg of the mission needs to meet the requirements of Category IVb – a requirement that translates into missions searching for extant martian life.

In reviewing research on planetary protection technology in China, Kanyan’s presentation explains that a large amount of research has been conducted on planetary protection techniques through both international cooperation and independent study and development.

“Through long-term monitoring and sampling of AIT and launch site cleanroom environments in various parts of China, a microbial database and strain storage center have been set up and can be used for future planetary protection technology development and positive control for space mission,” a presentation chart explains.

Portable clean environments

“We have developed operational and data analysis protocols for deep space exploration missions, by studying publicly available documents from NASA and ESA,” the presentation states.

For example, work in China has been done on portable clean environments through cooperation with Thales-Alenia Space Italia (TASI).

Through the collaboration with TASI, China has formed a series of planetary protection documents, especially for cleanroom operations and recontamination control for assembly, integration, and testing activities.

Bioburden, sterilization technologies

Members of China’s planetary protection team have passed training classes on planetary protection, cleanroom operations and recontamination control.

“We have various bioburden reduction and sterilization technologies which can be used for PP [planetary protection] purpose, including dry heat sterilization, UV sterilization, hydrogen peroxide gas sterilization, cold plasma sterilization, alcohol/Isopropanol wiping, and so on,” the Kanyan overview explains.

Furthermore, rapid microbial examination technology has been created to more quickly detect spores, thereby shortening the assembly, integration, and testing of Mars-bound hardware.

Protect the Earth

In a summary slide, the goal of planetary protection, Kanyan concluded, “is not only to protect the effectiveness of research on major scientific issues in deep space exploration, but also to protect the Earth and the safety of human[s].”

It is necessary to take planetary protection measures for ensuring the achievement of scientific goals of deep space exploration missions, Kanyan reported.

“China has complied with the [United Nations] outer space treaty and the planetary protection policies formulated by COSPAR,” the summary slide adds, “and has conscientiously carried out planetary protection work during both lunar and Mars exploration missions.”

International consensus

“Their summary slide says it all, concisely,” said John Rummel, a former and founding chair of the panel on planetary protection of the COSPAR, an international confab of experts.

Rummel previously worked at NASA Headquarters (1986 to 1993 and 1998 to 2008) as the space agency’s senior scientist for astrobiology and as NASA’s Planetary Protection Officer.

Rummel told Inside Outer Space it appears that China is innovating to do the planetary protection tasks more effectively with less of a burden than might otherwise be the case.

“Reaching an international consensus on those requirements, despite a lack of direct collaboration with the United Sates, is precisely the reason that COSPAR maintains a Panel on Planetary Protection,” Rummel said.

Doing all the right things

Also assessing the China COSPAR presentation is Cassie Conley, a former NASA planetary protection officer, the longest-serving scientist in that post to date.

Conley said it’s definitely the case that China says they’re doing all the right things for Mars planetary protection.

Specifically, Conley pointed to use of rapid spore assay and plasma sterilization.

Also, the collaboration with Thales-Alenia Space Italia (TASI) “is a very promising sign, since the same group did a good job with planetary protection for the ExoMars lander/rover. TASI did solid work on ExoMars,” she said.

The European Space Agency’s ExoMars is slated for launch between October and December 2028. That venture via its Rosalind Franklin rover — aims to explore the martian surface in pursuit of evidence indicating past life, as well as hunt for present signs of life on Mars.

Substantial resources

Another encouraging aspect of China’s approach, Conley added, based on the COSPAR presentation, are images that may well show the actual facilities China has built for Mars exploration. “They’ve almost certainly invested substantial resources in planetary protection facilities,” Conley added.

“Two things I’d want to know more about include the actual bioburden numbers for the Mars mission China has already sent, and how they’re implementing ‘UV sterilization,’” Conley told Inside Outer Space.

UV light is easily blocked by very thin layers of material, Conley added, “so it’s not a reliable method for any surface that doesn’t have a mirror-finish, since some of the microbes one worries most about will create caves in metal surfaces to live in.”

Arguably, perhaps a highly beneficial scientific consequence from knowing more detail about China’s Mars planetary protection plans is having NASA experts on this issue work cooperatively with China’s Mars team. Doing so would, however, require a relook at U.S. Congressional restrictions on bilateral US-China collaboration, Conley concluded.

 

 

A general schedule for the creation of the Russian orbital station has been approved.

Along with Roscosmos chief, Yuri Borisov, 19 general directors of the main cooperation enterprises recently inked the document.

The deployment of the Russian station is planned to begin with the launch of the scientific and energy module in 2027.

By 2030, the plan is to create the core of the station from four modules launched into orbit: scientific and energy (NEM-ROS), universal node (UUM), gateway (SM) and base (BM).

A second stage phase, from 2031 to 2033, involves station expansion by docking two target modules: CM1 and CM2.

The schedule includes not only the work on the design and manufacture of the station modules, but also ensuring flight tests of the new-generation manned transport ship, the creation of launch vehicles and ground-based space infrastructure facilities, and the work of scientific institutes in the industry to support the project.

Why now?

A Roscosmos posting notes that the creation of the Russian orbital station will allow:

• continuation of the Russian human spaceflight program, taking into account the termination of the Russian Federation’s participation in the International Space Station (ISS) project;
• solving problems of scientific and technological development, the national economy and national security “that are not accessible on the Russian segment of the ISS due to technological limitations and the terms of international agreements”;
• increasing the competitiveness of domestic crewed space complexes;
• utilization of the station as a platform for testing space technologies.

Signed contracts

Russia Orbital Station artwork.
Image credit: Roscosmos TV Studio/Inside Outer Space screengrab

 

Government contracts are signed, Roscosmos adds, for experimental design work on the creation of the Russian space station, including a heavy-class launch vehicle “Angara” at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

In outer space can you hear the sound from ballooning expectations?

That “Noise of Summer” liftoff of Firefly’s launcher on July 3 from Vandenberg Space Force Base was loaded with eight CubeSats under NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI).

One of the mini-spacecraft is a technology demonstration of a novel inflatable antenna for high-speed communications.

Called CatSat, this University of Arizona payload is showcasing inflatable technology, a deployable antenna consisting of a Mylar balloon.

CatSat’s central body is roughly the size of a large cereal box.

Half-and-half

The front half of the balloon is transparent, allowing microwaves to pass through. The back half of the balloon is aluminized, creating a reflecting antenna.

After reaching low Earth orbit, CatSat’s antenna is slated to deploy and inflate to a diameter of just over one-and-a-half feet.

CatSat’s demonstration will be to transmit high-definition Earth photos at high-speed. The CubeSat will also relay data about the structure of the Earth’s ionosphere, gathered by listening-in to thousands of beacons from ground-based ham radio stations.

That’s a drag

CatSat will use a whip antenna to study Earth’s upper atmosphere before deploying its beachball-looking antenna.        

“Once the inflatable antenna is deployed, it will increase drag,” said Shae Henley, the CatSat team’s lead integration and testing engineer at the University of Arizona.

“Even though we’re in low Earth orbit,” Henley said in a university statement, “there’s still some residual atmosphere in that part of space. That’s why there will still be drag due to the inflatable antenna’s larger size. So, we want to get some good ionospheric data beforehand.”

Size constraints

CatSat is a student-run project involving NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, Freefall Aerospace, the University of Arizona, and Rincon Research Corporation in Tucson, Arizona. 

 

The Large Balloon Reflector concept, said Chris Walker, a UArizona professor of astronomy and principal investigator of the CatSat project, is an inflatable technology that creates large collecting apertures that weigh a fraction of today’s deployable antennas.

The Large Balloon Reflector was an early-stage study developed through NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.

Walker is the father of the inflatable antenna concept used by CatSat.

The compactness of CubeSats has its drawbacks, pointed out Henley.

“But while the technology can be shrunk down with miniaturized components, the size of the antenna can’t break the laws of physics, and therefore there are size constraints,” Henley said in a university press statement. “Our solution to that challenge is an inflatable antenna.”

Moon, Mars designs

The CatSat team is looking into what they could do next with CubeSats, beyond Earth orbit.

One idea involves a CubeSat orbiting the Moon (LunaCat). Another design would use a CubeSat as a data transmitter for a Mars mission (MarsCat).

Fortifying those future plans, last May the team received a 3U CubeSat valued at  about $500,000 from GOMspace North America, who donated the spacecraft to the CatSat team for a future mission. CatSat itself uses a GOMspace spacecraft bus.

“CatSat is definitely more Earth focused,” Henley said. “But an inflatable antenna has a lot of potential, even for deep space and longer, farther missions.”