‘Production engineering a low cost video imaging

constellation’

10th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation, Berlin, April 2015

Alex da Silva Curiel , Andrew Cawthorne, James Penson, Martin Sweeting

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PlanetLabs

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Commercialisation

RapidEye

UK-DMC Deimos-1

Beijing-1

EROS

Google SkyBox

exactEarth

DMC-3

WorldVu SpaceX GeoOptics SPIRE PlanetIQ GeoMetwatch Satellogic DAURIA etc….

Deimos-2

Comms and EO Constellations

Orbcomm Globalstar

AprizeSat

“Modern” Small satellite revolution

Military and techdemo

Small Satellite are the only way to deliver low latency global EO & comms services

2014

The opportunity......

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SSTL – satellites produced per launch used

Introduction

• Since 2012 have been running an Internal R&D programme (designated ‘FIREWorks’) to develop the next generation of SSTL small satellite Platforms

• SSTL have introduced a new range of small satellites to the market – the X-Series

• The X-Series Satellites build on nearly 30 years of small satellite engineering experience

• The X-Series offer commercial level performance at extremely low recurrent cost, through a number of approaches: – Use of modern technologies, processes and protocols – Focusing on design for Automated production and Test processes and techniques

New Challenges and Opportunities

• Motivation and Stimulation – New Market Entrants, Extra competition, Need to Adapt & Evolve – New Technologies, protocols and techniques available from other

Sectors • Automotive Especially

– The Emergence of more Competitive Service based Models in the Markets – low data product prices required

– The evolution and Growth of SSTL • High Capital Investment in New Capabilities & Facilities • Experience in the successful use of COTs Technologies on Small Satellites

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2000s 1980’s 1990’s 2012

Introducing the SSTL X-Series • A new range of platforms with common core features

• A single system architecture and technology designed to meet

all mission applications and requirements across the entire range.

• Common, modular and expandable specification • available on all platforms and missions:

– Dual redundant systems – Data storage up to Terabytes capacity – Data bus transfer rates of Gigabits per second – Onboard real-time processing of

Giga-instructions per second – High speed X-Band downlink

SSTL NovaSAR

SSTL 300 S1

SSTL 300

SSTL GMP-T

SSTL 150

SSTL 100

SSTL-X50

Cubesats

Majority of LEO SSTL Platforms will be X-Series in next 3-5 years

Design Principles

• Retain Core SSTL Design Principles, built up over 30 years – Simplicity – Robustness – Hands off Operations – Simple Safe Modes – Use of COTs Technologies

• Make Use of New Techniques

& Technologies – Automated Manufacture – Automated Test

• Employ Card Frame Based Core

Avionics Architecture – Provide Modularity & Flexibility

1980

1990

2010

2000

Modularity & Flexibility SSTL-X300 – S1 Block Diagram

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SSTL – X-50 Block Diagram

• Common Building Blocks • Configurable to suit different

capacity & capability requirements

What could you fly? • Low cost constellation platform • Configurable structure and solar arrays • User focuses on the mission and payload

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Space avionics production line

• To take advantage of the evolution of component technology • Reduces possibility of damage to SMT devices from hand soldering • Reduce the schedule and cost of manufacturing • Reduces manufacturing cost of PCA’s • Build into stock

• Process design and space qualification has required extensive effort

* Equipment type for illustrative purposes

Stencil Printer Reflow Machine X - Ray Machine (Pick and Place)

Automated Optical Inspection Cleaning

Production Cost Efficiency

• Step Change in Production Costs achieved through use of: – Component Pick & Place – Automated Solder (Re-flow) – Automated Inspection – Automated Test

• Automated Testing of system at Platform Level

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Approach Scenario

Traditional/ Bespoke

COTs Manual

COTS Automated

Prod

uctio

n Ph

ase

Dura

tions

Procurement Weeks Days Days

Assembly Weeks Weeks Hours

Inspection Days Days Hours

Test Weeks Weeks Hours Overall Months Weeks/

Months Days

First Products to Market - The X-50 Series

• Essentially Re-Packages the current SSTL-100 in to a smaller, lower cost package

• Add improved capabilities

SSTL-100 platform SSTL-X50 platform

Series of x50 Platforms • Many Applications and three reference products:

– Medium Resolution EO (‘Earthmapper’) – 2.5m EO (‘Precision’) – Medium Resolution Multispectral & SWIR (‘True Colour’)

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SWIR NIR R G B

NIR R G

pan

X50 microsat systems Earthmapper

22m GSD 600km swath

“Earth landmass,

daily” TrueColour 5m GSD

390km swath

Precision 0.7m GSD

1m HD video

R G B

Training and Development • Hands-on • On-the-Job Mission Control Centre

Launch and Insurance

EarthMapper • Never miss an image – always on over sunlit land

• 660km swath, 22m resolution

• One satellite covers the earth in 5 days, five satellites in one

day, guaranteeing an image before and after every event on

the ground

• For agricultural and disaster monitoring, water, national, global

and urban mapping

• Imagery typically only found on Large Institutional Missions

• High 5m Resolution Imagery, with 19m SWIR

• Wide 390km Swath for large area coverage

• For Mapping, Vegetation, Land Cover, Floods and Water,

Disaster Management, Urban and Geological Mapping

TrueColour+

Precision • Very High 0.7m Resolution Imagery

• 1m HD Full Motion Video

• Existing Markets – Mapping, Agriculture, Security, Insurance

• Emerging Markets – Financial and Economic Modelling,

Consumer Media, Competitor Analysis

Precision – Colour HD Video Specification

Spectral Bands HD Video: PAN or colour, Still: Red, Green, Blue, NIR

GSD HD video: 1 m, Still imagery: 0.7 m, Both modes from the same payload

Swath Video mode in 2.5xk2k HD format, Still image mode 17 km swath

Field of Regard +/- 40o , Equivalent to 750 km on the ground

SNR All bands > 100:1 Data Products Radiometrically and geometrically calibrated, 12 bits/pixel Compression Ratio Lossless up to 2.5:1, Lossy at higher ratios

Mass 60 kg to 160 kg dependent on configuration Redundancy Dual redundant systems Reference Orbit 500km, SSO, 10.30am LTAN Data Storage Up to 1 Tbyte Downlink 80-500 Mbits per second Design life 5 years+ Revisit 2 times daily above lower latitudes for 5 satellite constellation

Data capacity 640 – 960 image scenes per day (17x17km) 185,000 to 280,000km^2 per day

Conclusions • The next generation of SSTL small satellite platforms has

been described, the X-Series, designed for automated manufacture and test.

• The SSTL-X50 “Precision“ mission addresses the need for commercial operational constellations providing high resolution imaging and video.

www.sstl.co.uk

Changing the economics of space

A.Curiel@sstl.co.uk info@sstl.co.uk

Thank You