TSUBAME (satellite)

Last updated
CG rendering of the TSUBAME satellite TSUBAME CG WithEARTH20.jpg
CG rendering of the TSUBAME satellite

TSUBAME was a microsatellite developed by the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo University of Science from a student design concept in 2004. [1] The satellite was designed to demonstrate new technologies for rapid attitude control, observing gamma ray bursts, and Earth observation. [2] The name, TSUBAME, means swift in Japanese and was chosen both because of the experimental attitude control system and to invoke another gamma ray observatory, the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission, [3] which launched shortly after TSUBAME's first design concept was published in 2004. [4]

Contents

TSUBAME was launched with four other satellites from Yasny Cosmodrome on a Dnepr rocket on November 6, 2014. [5] It was placed in a 500 km altitude Sun-synchronous orbit. A week after the launch, problems were reported with communication hardware and communication was lost with the satellite after three months of recovery efforts. [1]

Objectives

The TSUBAME mission included both engineering and scientific objectives. Primarily engineering objectives were successful demonstration of new compact control moment gyroscopes for rapid changes in spacecraft attitude and demonstration of a compact, 14-meter resolution optical camera. In addition to these engineering objectives, the mission also included a primarily scientific objective to observe ephemeral, high-energy phenomena, such as gamma ray bursts, using polarimetry of hard X-rays. [6] [7] Early concepts of the mission also included tether formation control experiments [6] but this objective appears to have been dropped from the final design.

History

The Matunaga space systems lab at the Tokyo Institute of Technology had launched several student-designed satellites before TSUBAME, including CUTE-1 in 2003, CUTE-1.7 + APD in 2006, and CUTE-1.7 + APD II in 2007. [6] The first design concepts for the TSUBAME mission were entered into a student satellite design contest in 2004, where it won Grand Prix. [8] TSUBAME was one of four small satellites to launch piggyback with ASNARO 1. The mission was launched from Yasny Cosmodrome on a Dnepr rocket on November 6, 2014. [5] It was deployed into a 500 km Sun synchronous orbit. [1]

Initially, TSUBAME's mission was expected to last one year. Early results from the check-in phase, where hardware is activated and vital functions checked, were positive, but a week after launch issues with RF command receiver (in the FM broadcast band) were observed. Later, issues developed with the satellite spin rate, S-band communications, GPS receiver, and battery voltage and temperature. About three months after launch, all communication was lost with the failure of the continuous wave transceiver. Subsequent analysis of communications with the satellite and laboratory reproduction have revealed that the ultimate loss of contact and some of the other issues were caused by a failure in a DC-DC converter. Several other issues and design flaws were revealed in the failure analysis. [1]

Description

The satellite bus was a rectangular prism 45 cm × 45 cm × 56 cm (1.48 ft × 1.48 ft × 1.84 ft) assembled from an internal structure of metal panels an exterior covered with carbon fibre reinforced polymer lattice. The spacecraft mass was approximately 49 kg (108 lb). [7]

The miniature control moment gyroscopes demonstrated in TSUBAME each had a rotating flywheel driven by a synchronous motor, and a single stepper motor, which controlled the gimbal. These control moment gyros were arranged in a pyramid. The flywheels were 7.35 cm in diameter and weighed 1 kg. In addition to the control moment gyros, a magnetorquer was also used for attitude control. [3] Navigation and attitude determination used a number of sensors including six Sun sensors, a three-direction magnetometer, three MEMS gyroscopes, and two star trackers. A field-programmable gate array contained the software for the attitude determination and control systems. [9]

TSUBAME had multiple communication systems to cope with the limitations of the radio equipment available on the ground. Similar to other satellites developed by the space systems laboratory at Tokyo Institute of Technology, TSUBAME had an FM band receiver and ultra high frequency transmitter which could communicate with the university's ground station. The UHF transmitter broadcast continuously after deployment so that amateur radio operators could assist in tracking the satellite. The volume of data that TSUBAME was expected to produce (on the order of tens of megabytes) could not be quickly broadcast by the radio transmitter, so an additional S-band transceiver was also included, even though an S-band antenna was not immediately available to the university; it was hoped that Fukui University of Technology would allow use of a 10m parabolic antenna after the launch. Poor design of the antennas on TSUBAME were found to be a likely cause of many of the failures that occurred on orbit. The first communication issues that were observed were attributed to interference from radio waves reflected off the solar panels. Subsequent failures were attributed to a failure of a DC-DC converter powering the communication systems. [1]

Instruments

The primary science objective measuring polarization of gamma ray bursts required two instruments. The Wide-Field Burst Monitors (WBMs) were used to help detect and localize events so the spacecraft can be pointed in the correct direction, while the Hard X-ray Compton Polarimeter (HXCP) was designed to make observations once correctly oriented. [10] There were five WBM units at diverse locations on the TSUBAME. Each WBM was a tile of caesium iodide scintillator. When an increase in the count rate was detected by one or more scintillators, the main processor would determine the direction, initiate control systems of the satellite. [3] The HXCP could measure polarization for photons from 30 to 200 keV. It comprised tiles of plastic scintillator to scatter incident photons, photomultiplier tubes, and a second caesium iodide based scintillator used as an absorber. Each scintillator tile was attached to an avalanche photodiode, which converts photons to an electric signal. To mitigate background noise, the HXCP was surrounded by metal composite shielding, and coincidence between the two scintillating materials could be compared and processed by onboard computers. [10] The optical camera was developed by the Tokyo University of Science. It had a ground resolution of 14 meters per pixel and could take up to five images each second. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>NEAR Shoemaker</i> American space probe to asteroid (1996–2001)

Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous – Shoemaker, renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. It was the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid and land on it successfully. In February 2000, the mission closed in on the asteroid and orbited it. On February 12, 2001, Shoemaker touched down on the asteroid and was terminated just over two weeks later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranger 2</span>

Ranger 2 was a flight test of the Ranger spacecraft system of the NASA Ranger program designed for future lunar and interplanetary missions. Ranger 2 was designed to test various systems for future exploration and to conduct scientific observations of cosmic rays, magnetic fields, radiation, dust particles, and a possible hydrogen gas "tail" trailing the Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reaction wheel</span> Attitude control device used in spacecraft

A reaction wheel (RW) is used primarily by spacecraft for three-axis attitude control, and does not require rockets or external applicators of torque. They provide a high pointing accuracy, and are particularly useful when the spacecraft must be rotated by very small amounts, such as keeping a telescope pointed at a star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BeppoSAX</span> Italian-Dutch satellite used for X-ray astronomy

BeppoSAX was an Italian–Dutch satellite for X-ray astronomy which played a crucial role in resolving the origin of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most energetic events known in the universe. It was the first X-ray mission capable of simultaneously observing targets over more than 3 decades of energy, from 0.1 to 300 kiloelectronvolts (keV) with relatively large area, good energy resolution and imaging capabilities. BeppoSAX was a major programme of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) with the participation of the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes (NIVR). The prime contractor for the space segment was Alenia while Nuova Telespazio led the development of the ground segment. Most of the scientific instruments were developed by the Italian National Research Council (CNR) while the Wide Field Cameras were developed by the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and the LECS was developed by the astrophysics division of the European Space Agency's ESTEC facility.

High Energy Transient Explorer 1 (HETE-1) was a NASA astronomical satellite with international participation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars 96</span> Failed Mars mission

Mars 96 was a failed Mars mission launched in 1996 to investigate Mars by the Russian Space Forces and not directly related to the Soviet Mars probe program of the same name. After failure of the second fourth-stage burn, the probe assembly re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, breaking up over a 320 km (200 mi) long portion of the Pacific Ocean, Chile, and Bolivia. The Mars 96 spacecraft was based on the Phobos probes launched to Mars in 1988. They were of a new design at the time and both ultimately failed. For the Mars 96 mission the designers believed they had corrected the flaws of the Phobos probes, but the value of their improvements was never demonstrated due to the destruction of the probe during the launch phase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compton Gamma Ray Observatory</span> NASA space observatory designed to detect X-rays and gamma rays (1991–2000)

The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) was a space observatory detecting photons with energies from 20 keV to 30 GeV, in Earth orbit from 1991 to 2000. The observatory featured four main telescopes in one spacecraft, covering X-rays and gamma rays, including various specialized sub-instruments and detectors. Following 14 years of effort, the observatory was launched from Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-37 on April 5, 1991, and operated until its deorbit on June 4, 2000. It was deployed in low Earth orbit at 450 km (280 mi) to avoid the Van Allen radiation belt. It was the heaviest astrophysical payload ever flown at that time at 16,300 kilograms (35,900 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JAXA</span> Japans national air and space agency

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orbit, and is involved in many more advanced missions such as asteroid exploration and possible human exploration of the Moon. Its motto is One JAXA and its corporate slogan is Explore to Realize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager was a NASA solar flare observatory. It was the sixth mission in the Small Explorer program (SMEX), selected in October 1997 and launched on 5 February 2002, at 20:58:12 UTC. Its primary mission was to explore the physics of particle acceleration and energy release in solar flares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Explorer 11</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Explorer 11 was a NASA satellite that carried the first space-borne gamma-ray telescope. This marked the beginning of space gamma-ray astronomy. Launched on 27 April 1961 by a Juno II, the satellite returned data until 17 November 1961, when power supply problems ended the science mission. During the spacecraft's seven-month lifespan it detected twenty-two events from gamma-rays and approximately 22,000 events from cosmic radiation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">INTEGRAL</span> European space telescope for observing gamma rays

The INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) is a space telescope for observing gamma rays of energies up to 8 MeV. It was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) into Earth orbit in 2002, and is designed to provide imaging and spectroscopy of cosmic sources. In the MeV energy range, it is the most sensitive gamma ray observatory in space. It is sensitive to higher energy photons than X-ray instruments such as NuSTAR, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, XMM-Newton, and lower than other gamma-ray instruments such Fermi and HESS.

The design of spacecraft covers a broad area, including the design of both robotic spacecraft, and spacecraft for human spaceflight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HETE 2</span> NASA satellite of the Explorer program

High Energy Transient Explorer 2 was a NASA astronomical satellite with international participation. The satellite bus for the first HETE-1 was designed and built by AeroAstro, Inc. of Herndon, Virginia and was lost during launch on 4 November 1996; the replacement satellite, HETE-2 was built by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) based on the original HETE design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Astronomy Satellite 2</span>

The Small Astronomy Satellite 2, also known also as SAS-2, SAS B or Explorer 48, was a NASA gamma ray telescope. It was launched on 15 November 1972 into the low Earth orbit with a periapsis of 443 km and an apoapsis of 632 km. It completed its observations on 8 June 1973.

<i>Hitomi</i> (satellite) Failed Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite

Hitomi, also known as ASTRO-H and New X-ray Telescope (NeXT), was an X-ray astronomy satellite commissioned by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for studying extremely energetic processes in the Universe. The space observatory was designed to extend the research conducted by the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA) by investigating the hard X-ray band above 10 keV. The satellite was originally called New X-ray Telescope; at the time of launch it was called ASTRO-H. After it was placed in orbit and its solar panels deployed, it was renamed Hitomi. The spacecraft was launched on 17 February 2016 and contact was lost on 26 March 2016, due to multiple incidents with the attitude control system leading to an uncontrolled spin rate and breakup of structurally weak elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OSO 7</span>

OSO 7 or Orbiting Solar Observatory 7, before launch known as OSO H is the seventh in the series of American Orbiting Solar Observatory satellites launched by NASA between 1962 and 1975. OSO 7 was launched from Cape Kennedy on 29 September 1971 by a Delta N rocket into a 33.1° inclination, low-Earth orbit, and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 9 July 1974. It was built by the Ball Brothers Research Corporation (BBRC), now known as Ball Aerospace, in Boulder Colorado.

Spacecraft attitude control is the process of controlling the orientation of a spacecraft with respect to an inertial frame of reference or another entity such as the celestial sphere, certain fields, and nearby objects, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EIRSAT-1</span> Irish space satellite (2023)

EIRSAT-1 is a European Space Agency-sponsored 2U CubeSat developed and built by University College Dublin (UCD) in Dublin, Ireland.

HIBARI is a space mission by Japan for a microsatellite that would test a new attitude control (orientation) method to achieve high accuracy pointing for its small telescope, and was launched on 9 November 2021 by an Epsilon launch vehicle as part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program-2 mission. The key technology to be tested on HIBARI is called "Variable Shape Attitude Control" (VSAC), and it is based on reaction torque by rotating its four solar array paddles.

The Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program is a series of spacecraft missions for testing technology and ideas put forward by universities and private companies. The program demonstrates various experimental devices and technology in space by providing flight opportunities. It is managed by the JAXA Research and Development Directorate. According to JAXA, the goal of this program is to test high risk, innovative technology that will lead to the space industry gaining competitiveness in the international field.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Yatsu, Yoichi; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Matsushita, Masanori; Kawajiri, Shota; Tawara, Kyosuke; Ohta, Kei; Koga, Masaya; Kimura, Shin'ichi. "What We Learned from the Tokyo Tech 50-kg Satellite "Tsubame"". Digital Commons-USU. Utah State University. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  2. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Tsubame". space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Tsubame – Spacecraft & Satellites". Spaceflight 101. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "ガンマ線バースト硬Ｘ線偏光観測衛星 TSUBAME". www.hp.phys.titech.ac.jp (in Japanese). Tokyo Institute of Technology. November 6, 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  5. 1 2 "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Naishida, Junichi; Tsubuku, Yoshihiro (May 6, 2007). "Tokyo Tech's Technology Demonstration Satellite "Tsubame"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Tsubame - eoPortal Directory - Satellite Missions". directory.eoportal.org. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "衛星設計コンテスト｜Satellite Design Contest - 第12回衛星設計コンテスト". www.satcon.jp (in Japanese).
  9. ↑ Hao, Ting; Matunaga, Saburo (March 2016). "New Sliding Mode Control Approach for Rapid Attitude Maneuver Using Control Moment Gyros". Journal of Aerospace Engineering. 29 (2): 06015001. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0000537.
  10. 1 2 Toizumi, T.; Enomoto, T.; Yatsu, Y.; Nakamori, T.; Kawai, N.; Ishizaka, K.; Muta, A.; Morishita, H.; Akiyama, K.; Kisa, N.; Inagawa, S.; Kawakubo, M.; Nishida, J.; Mizunuma, S.; Matsunaga, S.; Kataoka, J. (January 2011). "Development of the small satellite "Tsubame"". Physica E: Low-dimensional Systems and Nanostructures. 43 (3): 685–688. Bibcode:2011PhyE...43..685T. doi:10.1016/j.physe.2010.07.029.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.