Technion Researchers are Planning to Launch into Space a Formation of Three Nano-satellites

24/01/2012

11Undergraduate and graduate students will fill practical roles in the examination of various aspects related to the mission and in the development of the system

Technion researchers are planning to launch into space a structure of three nano-satellites weighing up to six kilograms each, in frame of a unique project headed by Prof. Pini Gurfil of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and the Asher Space Research Institute at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. The project is scheduled to be unveiled on January 30, 2012 at the Ilan Ramon International Space Conference of the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology and the Fisher Institute, and will be presented to space agency representatives and space researchers from all over the world.

“For the first time ever, an attempt will be made to launch three satellites that will fly together in a controlled formation. To date, such a launch was not possible due to the size and weight of the satellites, and because of the problems associated with the launch of satellites in a uniform formation and their prolonged stay in space”, says Prof. Gurfil.

The Technion researchers are hoping to launch the three nano-satellites in 2015. The satellites will attempt to receive signals from Earth at given frequencies, and to calculate the location of the transmission’s origin. The receiving of signals transmitted from Earth to space using several nano-satellites flying in formation is an innovative experiment that has not been attempted to date. If this experiment succeeds, satellites can be developed that fly in formation, which can be used for varied applications, such as the location and identification of people in distress through the satellite system.

Another aim of the experiment is to prove that a uniform, controlled formation of satellites can be held for a year in a 600 km orbit above Earth, something that has not been attempted until now. For this purpose, the researchers are planning, for the first time ever, to install on each of the satellites a propulsion system that will assist in maintaining the formation in space longer.

The satellites are built based on a CubeSat standard structure, whose parts will be assembled by the researchers with the assistance of the students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion. The satellite formation comprises six cubes, each 10x10x10 cm, such that each satellite will have a 10x20x30 cm box. These boxes will have assembled on them measuring instruments, antennae, computer systems, control systems, and navigation instruments. The software and the algorithms that will manage the flight were developed in the Distributed Space Systems Laboratory at the Technion’s Asher Space Research Institute. The nano-satellite formation will be launched as a supplementary payload on an existing launch, through Europe, Russia or India.

The experiment is based on a prototype that was designed by Prof. Gurfil thanks to a one and a half million euro grant he received several months ago from the European Union. In designing the prototype, Prof. Gurfil and the interdisciplinary research group working with him succeeded in overcoming a variety of problems deriving from the need to maintain the satellites in a uniform formation such that they will not move apart, not come too close to each other, and successfully communicate among themselves and manage themselves in the event of a malfunction, as well as correct their relative position using as little fuel as possible, so that they will remain in space for a prolonged period.

“If we manage to prove in the experiment that the formation flight is possible, this will provide a momentum to the development of small satellites and technologies related to the miniaturization of electronic components, to efficient processing in space and to space propulsion systems. These technologies could contribute to a variety of civil applications and to the advancement of the Israeli space industry”, says Prof. Gurfil and adds: “another goal of the project is to contribute to the practical training of space engineers, which is why undergraduate and graduate students will fill practical roles in the examination of various aspects related to the mission and in the development of the system. The designated training and practical experience of space engineers are essential to Israel’s future in this field”.

In July 1998, researchers and students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion launched the satellite Gurwin TechSAT 2. The satellite, one of the smallest satellites of its kind in the world, succeeded in remaining in space and completing all its tasks for about 12 years. It was constructed as a cube each side of which was 45 cm long, weighed 48 kg and its power consumption was extremely low.