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Company Presentation
ISIS – Innovative Solutions In Space BV
Abe Bonnema
Space Economy in the Multipolar World
1st International Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania, 6-8 October, 2010
• Company overview
– ISIS
– CubeSatShop.com
– ISL Launch Services
– IDS Applications
• CubeSat and Nanosats introduction
• Challenges & Opportunities for CubeSats
• Conclusions
Outline
Why start a space company?
"The way to make a small fortune in
space is to start with a big fortune.
Space is a good place to lose a lot
of money real fast."
John Pike
American Federation of Scientists
Company Overview
• Spin-off of Delfi-C3 nanosatellite project of TU Delft
• Founded January 06, 2006
• Office locations:
– Delft, near Delft University of Technology Campus
– Noordwijk, in the European Space Incubator at ESTEC
• Current employment: 25+ engineers
• Fully owned by the management team:
Abe Bonnema
Marketing Director
Eddie van Breukelen
Financial Director
Jeroen Rotteveel
Managing Director
Wouter Jan Ubbels
Technical Director
Company Structure
• Separate „business units‟ for:
– Missions, Platforms, Custom systems
– Off-the-shelf systems from CubeSat system developers
– Small Satellite Launch Services
– Nanosatellite Applications
Missions and Systems
• Subsystem R&D:
– Disruptive subsystems
– Custom developments
• CubeSat and Nanosat Missions:
– Definition, Design and Development
– Assembly, Integration, Verification
• Ground Stations (Kits) & Mission Operations
• Training and Knowledge Transfer:
– Laboratory Training Kits
– Tailored Space Systems Engineering courses
Current Activities
• Ongoing Product Developments:
– Communication Systems (UHF, VHF, S-Band)
– ISIPOD Deployer systems in various form factors (e.g. 6-Pack)
– Test & Ground Support Equipment Kits
• Ongoing CubeSat R&D Projects:
– Track & Trace payloads (with Dutch partners)
– Miniaturized Star trackers (with TNO)
– Deployable Solar Arrays (with Dutch Space)
– Cool Gas microPropulsion Module (with TNO / Bradford)
– Modular Payload Deck Elements (with Stork/Fokker/Mecon)
Current Activities
• Ongoing Missions & Platforms:
– Triton-1 Tech Demo Mission (with SystematIC / NLR)
– Triton-2 AIS Demo Mission (with ClydeSpace / GomSpace)
– FUNcube Platform and MAIV (for AMSAT UK)
– De-Orbit Sail Demo Mission (EU project with SSC, DLR,
ASTRIUM, Universities in Greece, Turkey, South Africa)
– Delfi-n3Xt (Payload Partner of TU Delft)
– 2U environmental monitoring mission (undisclosed customer)
QB50
“An international network of 50 double CubeSats for multi-
point, in-situ, long-duration measurements in the lower
thermosphere and for re-entry research.”
von Karman Institute
for Fluid Dynamics
• Consortium led by VKI – Von Karman Institute (J. Muylaert)
• Supported by space agencies
• ISIS involved for:
– Satellite Platform Technical Advice
– Launch Configuration and Orbit Dynamics Analysis
– Payload Deck, Deployment System and Integration Support
– Launch Campaign Support
International Project Support
• HumSat
– UN supported humanitarian mission
– Satellite constellation to receive low data rate
terrestrial sensor data
– Receiver technology key to success
– Ground Station network required
• GENSO
– GENSO compatible Ground Stations
– GENSO validation mission support
Advanced Application - OLFAR
• OLFAR is a new concept of a low frequency radio telescope in
space using small satellites.
• Correlation must be done in space.
• Distributed processing with centralized downlink transmission is
the preferable option.
• Inter satellite link is the communication challenge.
Company Structure
• Separate „business units‟ for:
– Missions, Platforms, Custom systems
– Off-the-shelf systems from CubeSat system developers
– Small Satellite Launch Services
– Nanosatellite Applications
CubeSatShop.com
• Objectives:
– One-stop-shop for all your off-the-shelf CubeSat systems
– Single portal for questions and system comparison
– CubeSat configurator interface
• Current Partners (new partner/products always welcome)
Company Structure
• Separate „business units‟ for:
– Missions, Platforms, Custom systems
– Off-the-shelf systems from CubeSat system developers
– Small Satellite Launch Services
– Nanosatellite Applications
Last month: 1 year in orbit – Congrats to:
• ISILaunch01 teams:
UWE-2 BEESAT ITUpSAT1 SwissCube
Company Structure
• Separate „business units‟ for:
– Missions, Platforms, Custom systems
– Off-the-shelf systems from CubeSat system developers
– Small Satellite Launch Services
– Nanosatellite Applications
Introduction to CubeSats | Nanosats
CubeSats | Nanosats
• Classed by size (mass):
– Picosatellite
• Up to 1 kg
• CubeSat standard
– Nanosatellite
• Up to 10 (or 25 ?) kg
• CubeSat standard
– Microsatellite
• Up to 100 - 200 kg
• Characterized by:
– Typical mission objectives
– Development time
– Developer‟s background and
experience
– Design and test philosophy
– Launch and orbit requirements
CubeSats | Nanosats
• Development time:
– Relatively short; 1-3 years „from scratch to space‟
– Extreme case, responsive space; possibly 3 months
– Independent of small satellite class
• Developer‟s background and experience:
– Increased accessibility allows new developers to space
– From hobbyist group to established space industry
– Varying experience – satellite development / launch
CubeSats | Nanosats
• Design and test philosophy:
– Limited resources often a driver for design choices
– Components:
• COTS vs. space qualified
– Model philosophy:
• proto-flight vs. EM/QM/FM
– Documentation:
• time vs. traceability
– Testing:
• minimal vs. full qualification/acceptance
CubeSats | Nanosats
• Launch and orbit requirements:
– Depend on mission objectives, but often quite „relaxed‟
– Orbital altitude requirements, range vs. specific:• e.g. between 500-1000 km
– Inclination often driven by developer‟s location:• Operations from developer‟s local ground station
• Sun Synchronous in many cases preferred
– Timing and schedule driven by various parameters:• Objected satellite readiness
• Political/budgetary aspects
– Search for launch at T - 6 to 18 months…
CubeSats | Nanosats
Why build CubeSats | Nanosats?
Disruptive technology
Mainframe Mini-Computer PC
Large Spacecraft Microsatellite Nanosatellite
Disruptive Technology
-Improve a product or service in a way the market does not expect
- Often at low performance but at significantly lower price
- Often targeted at customers with different needs
- Has the ability to radically change the entire market
Disruptive Technology
1st generation Cubesats
Rad-Tolerant Cubes
Highly capable SC
Start simple- Low pointing
- Low complexity
- Fast time to market
Stepwise
Improvements~3 year lifecycles
-Formation Flying
-Better Pointing
-Lifetime (rad hard)
-Reliability
Design to Cost-Focused Missions
-New risk approach
-Low entry barrier
CubeSat Pointing Trends
Design Aspects
• Small Teams
• Short Mission Lifecycles
• Modular systems
• Standard avionics modules and interfaces
• Mission Specific Avionics and systems
• Plug and Play Payload capability
• Off-the-shelf systems
1 kg, 1W 15 kg, 40W
Part commonality
Lowering entry barriers
• Traditionally:
– Big Agencies fly „higher risk‟ missions with new technologies
– Once proven, the technology flows to commercial (e.g. GEO SATCOM) missions
• With CubeSats | Nanosats:
– Small research groups can take on missions due to lower mission cost and prepare the organization and workforce for larger missions
– Entrepreneuring companies can fly „risky‟ technology on commercial missions due to lower financial risk
– Lower infrastructure cost and more access to space enables affordable constellations
CubeSat | Nanosat Applications
• Educational:
– training of new engineers
• Technology and component validation:
– demonstrating propulsion systems, sensors
• Scientific:
– microgravity, astronomy, space weather
• Institutional / Operational/ Military:
– Earth observation
– Monitoring and surveillance
– signal intelligence,
– communications
• Commercial:
– monitoring of ships, dikes, containers
• PR and Private initiatives:
– Commercials
– Luxury items
Turn key
Solutions
Support,
Capacity
Building
CubeSat | Nanosats
• Mission objectives:– Education - gain experience
– Demonstration - add functionality
– Scientific - increase performance
– Operational/Commercial - increase reliability
• The Challenges = the Opportunities:
– Frequencies and legislation
– Cooperation
– Access to space
– Standardization
– Increase functionality, performance and reliability
– Overcome technical bottlenecks
• Frequencies and downlink of data, operations:
– Amateur frequencies
• Need for improved coordination?
• Re-use / sharing of frequencies?
– Networks of CubeSats
• How do you coordinate 25+ Cubes deployed at the same time (e.g. QB50)?
• Scheduling (TDMA)?
– Shared ground stations
• Licensing & regulatory aspects?
• Training of operation?
• Data policies?
Challenges & Opportunities
• Improved Cooperation
– Develop your strengths, do not re-invent the wheel
– Regulatory issues and restrictions
• E.g. ITAR vs non-dependence movement in Europe
• Licensing
– IPR issues in cooperation between parties
• Industry / Industry: competitors vs. partners
• Industry / Academia: risk your IPR to become public domain
• Academia / Industry: risk of not being allowed to publish your work
• Industry / government: risk w.r.t. IPR ownership
Challenges & Opportunities
• Improve access to space
– Launches are not cheap
• Launch fees
• Testing and procedures
• Campaign cost
– More often regulations apply
(e.g. national space laws, NOAA, ITU/FCC)
– Do not underestimate the level of testing and prove
of conformance required by the LSP
– Take into account end-of-life
Challenges & Opportunities
• Standardization and modularity
– CubeSat Standard, universally adopted?
• Depends very much on the type of deployer used for
things like envelope, mass, etc
• Variations on CubeSats are not very well covered
• Mostly covers form, fit, mechanical aspects
– Standardization of internal interfaces:
• No real solution or consensus (mech, data, power, etc)
• If you say: “we use our own standard”, it‟s not a
standard.
• Commercial CubeSat systems providers struggle with
this quite a bit…
Challenges & Opportunities
Challenges & Opportunities
• Technical bottlenecks:
– Envelopes: volume, mass
– Miniaturization of systems
– Budgets (and not just financial):
Control
Power
Communication
Link Margin
Data rates
…
Orbit average power
Battery sizing
…
Stabilization
Pointing Accuracy
…
Goals:
• Better efficiencies
• Higher data rates
• Reliable links
Communication
Closing the link:
UHF/VHF Transceivers
S-band Transmitter
Deployable Antenna Systems (VHF/UHF)
Ground Stations
Challenges & Opportunities
Goals:
• Better efficiencies
• Increased Orbit Average Power
• Longer (battery) lifetime
EPS -> flexibility
Batteries -> higher capacity
Increased Power:
Modular Deployable Solar Panels
(up to 2x3 panels, or 42 cells/3U)
Power
Challenges & Opportunities
Goals:
• 3-Axis attitude control
• Accurate determination
• Enable Formation Flying / Swarms
Some examples:
Control
• Miniature Fine Sun Sensors
• Multi-Aperture Star Trackers
• „Facet Nano‟ for Cubesats
• Micropropulsion
Challenges & Opportunities
• Develop more capable subsystems:
– Attitude control systems and sensors
– Propulsion and orbit control systems
– More efficient power systems
– Power generation and storage
– Higher data rate communication
– More efficient communication systems
– …
• Focus on applications:
– Which (information) needs that can be fulfilled with such small platforms?
– What scientific questions may be answered with small satellite missions?
– What other applications can you think of?
Opportunities enough…
Conclusions
• CubeSats and Nanosats:
– Low cost, low barrier access to space
– Perfect training platforms for technology and knowledge building
– Affordable missions from demonstration to scientific,
commercial and operational
– First step in a roadmap to more capable platforms
• Opportunities for Baltic region:
– Cooperative CubeSat mission for knowledge building
– Determine what niche and applications to focus on
– Become a big player in small space
“The biggest limitation in (very) small satellites is your creativity…”
ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space BV
Thank you for your attention!
Abe Bonnema
Marketing Director
Molengraaffsingel 12-14
2629 JD Delft, The Netherlands
e-mail: [email protected]
web: www.isispace.nl | www.isilaunch.com
www.cubesatshop.com | www.innovativedataservices.com