Versatile Satellite Architecture and Technology: A New Architecture for Low Cost Satellite Missions for Solar-Terrestrial Studies

Details Versatile Satellite Architecture and Technology: A New Architecture for Low Cost Satellite Missions for Solar-Terrestrial Studies Versatile Satellite Architecture and Technology: A New Architecture for Low Cost Satellite Missions for Solar-Terrestrial Studies

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsa24a..06c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SA24A-06

Physics

[0300] Atmospheric Composition And Structure, [0394] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Instruments And Techniques, [2400] Ionosphere, [2700] Magnetospheric Physics

Scientific paper

Early in the 20th century, automobiles appeared as extraordinary vehicles - and now they are part of life everywhere. Late in the 20th century, internet and portable phones appeared as innovations - and now omni-present requirements. At mid-century, the first satellites were launched into space - and now 50 years later - "making a satellite" remains in the domain of highly infrequent events. Why do all universities and companies not have their own satellites? Why is the work force capable of doing so remarkably small? Why do highly focused science objectives that require just a glimpse from space never get a chance to fly? Historically, there have been two primary impediments to place an experiment in orbit - high launch costs and the high cost of spacecraft systems and related processes. The first problem appears to have been addressed through the availability of several low-cost (< $10M) commercial launch opportunities. The Versatile Satellite Architecture and Technology (VerSAT) will address the second. Today's space missions are often large, complex and require development times typically a decade from conception to execution. In present risk-averse scenario, the huge expense of these one-of-a-kind mission architecture can only be justified if the technology required to make orders of magnitude gains is flight-proven at the time mission conception. VerSAT will complement these expensive missions which are "too large to fail" and the CUBESATs. A number of Geospace science experiments that could immediately take advantage of VerSAT have been identified. They range from the study of fundamental questions of the "ignorosphere" from a single satellite lasting a few days - a region of space that was probed once about 40 years ago, to a constellation of satellites which will disentangle the space and time ambiguity of the variability of ionospheric structures and their link to the storms in the Sun to long-term studies of the Sun-Earth system. VerSAT is a true multiplexed system that is modular, scalable and reconfigurable; it is designed for mass production, design reuse and interoperability. Its shortened development schedule would allow students to be involved from experiment design to data analysis. It would therefore become the national leader for hands-on training for these participants and will leave an important legacy in developing a scientifically and technically competent workforce.

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