United Nations/Austria/European Space Agency
Symposium on Small Satellite Programmes for Sustainable Development
Small Satellite Projects:
Learning Opportunities for Satellite Systems
Engineering Tools
Danielle Wood
PhD Candidate, Engineering Systems Division
Advisor:
Dr. Annalisa Weigel
Assistant Professor, Aeronautics/Astronautics & Engineering Systems
Center for Aerospace Systems, Policy and Architecture Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Small satellite projects are an excellent
entry point for developing countries to
start building capability in satellite
technology.
Small satellite projects can provide
both hands-on technical experience
and methodological training for
satellite systems engineering
Background
Space activities in developing countries
Satellites Can Provide Valuable
Services in Developing Countries
Especially Through Applications in Remote
Sensing, Communication and Navigation
Most developing countries access
satellite services via in-direct means
African satellite projects reveals activity
across the technology spectrum
Categories of African Satellite Projects
(79 Projects Total)
# of Projects
25
22 Using satellite indirectly
Using satellite directly
20
16
15
10
5
7
11
9
5
4
4
1
0
Key Message
•Satellite services are access through a variety of technical
models.
• Most developing countries are consumers of data and
users
satellite ground segments
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More developing countries are getting
directly involved with satellite
technology
Many African, Asian and Latin American
countries are active in satellite technology
N. Korea
Algeria
Iran
Egypt
Mexico
China
India
UAE
Japan
S. Korea
Malaysia
Nigeria
Brazil
Argentina
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Indonesia
South
Africa
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Countries with new satellite programs
face strategic decisions about how to
establish local technical capability
International Context
National Context
Space Program
Capabilities:
Facilities and
Human
Resources
Relationship of Space
Program to Domestic
Government, Industry
and Academia
Relationship of Space Program to Foreign
Governments or Companies
Research Context
Exploring process of technological capability
building for countries with young satellite
programs
More on
“Building Technological Capability”
At the space program level…
• Sometimes capability is increased by
advancing in technological autonomy
• The space program is gradually doing its
activities more independently of foreign
assistance
• Move through procurement models…
– Buying  Training  Licensing  Building in
foreign facility  Building via partnership 
Building locally
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At the space program level…
• Sometimes capability is increased by advancing
in technological complexity
• The complexity of a satellite can change based on
factors such as…
– Size
– Number of instruments
– Lifetime
– Pointing accuracy
– Temporal and spatial resolution of data
– Orbit
– Etc…
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Increasing technological complexity
CubeSat
Mass
Capability
Lifetime
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< 3 pounds
Technology
demonstration
and Education
< 1 year
Small EO Satellite
Mass
200 to 600
pounds
(100 to 400
kg)
Capability
Earth Imaging
and Scientific
Measurement
Lifetime
~ 5 years
Commercial EO Satellite
Mass
4000 pounds
(~2000 kg)
Capability
High
resolution
earth imaging
Lifetime
7 to 10 years
Image Sources: http://www.sstl.co.uk/Products/Platforms
http://polysat.calpoly.edu/CP6.php
http://launch.geoeye.com/LaunchSite/assets/download_imagery/testing1.jpg
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South Korea’s Path shows advances in
autonomy and complexity
Increasing Technical Complexity
Project Participants & Launch Date
KITSAT-1
1992
KITSAT-2
1993
KITSAT-3
1999
UK + Korean
Universities
Korean
University
Korean
University
KOMPSAT-1 KOMPSAT-2 KOMPSAT-3
1999
2006
2010
US Firm +
Korean Space
Agency
European Firm
+ Korean
Space Agency
European Firm
+ Korean
Space Agency
National Space Agency
KOMPSAT-2
KOMPSAT-3
Technical University
KITSAT-3
KITSAT-1
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KOMPSAT-1
KITSAT-2
SpinOff
Firm
RazakSat
(2009)
Korean Firm +
Malaysian
Space Agency
Source: SaTReC http://satrec.kaist.ac.kr/english/SaTReC.html
DubaiSat
(2009)
Korean Firm +
UAE University
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System Engineering Tools:
Facilitate complex satellite and payload projects
• System Modeling
• Design Space Exploration and Trade Analysis
• System Optimization
Credit: This material is based partly on course materials from MIT’s 16.888 Multi-Disciplinary Design and
Optimization Course, Prof de Weck and Prof. Wilcox: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astronautics/16-888multidisciplinary-system-design-optimization-spring-2004/
System Modeling
Models – Mathematical descriptions of system of interest that can be
manipulated to answer questions about the system design; based on
requirements and confirmed with benchmarking
System Models
Physics Based
Models
Generic Software
Context
Empirical Models
Discipline Specific Software Context
(ie mechnical drafting, orbital simulation, electrical design, etc)
(ie MATLAB, Excel, etc)
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System Modeling:
Simulation models are composed of smaller modules
Info fed to
upstream
(feedback)
Info coming
from upstream
(feed-forward)
Input
Output
Module i
Output
Input
Info fed from
downstream
(feedback)
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Credit: de Weck and Willcox
Info fed to
downstream
(feed-forward)
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N2 Diagram:
Shows relationships between modules
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Credit: M.S. Avnet, A.L.Weigel, An application of the Design Structure Matrix to Integrated Page 20
Concurrent Engineering, Acta Astronautica (2009), doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2009.09.004
System Model Example with Modules
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Design Space Exploration and
Trade Analysis
System Attribute
• Explore results
of potential
design
decisions
• Identify
feasible design
solutions
Desired System Performance
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• Establish
upper and
lower limits on
performances
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Design Space Exploration
System Performance
How does my
system
performance
change when I
change two
parameters?
Performance Parameter #2
Performance Parameter #1
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System Optimization
•
•
•
•
•
Define Objectives J
Define Design Variables x
Define Constraints and Bounds g, h
Determine important fixed parameters p
Typical Mathematical Problem Statement:
“Minimize J such that g is
less than zero; h is equal
to zero; and the design
variables are within given
bounds”
For more information on optimization methods see MIT Open Course Ware
website: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astronautics/16-888multidisciplinary-system-design-optimization-spring-2004/
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Small training satellite projects focus
on certain aspects of relevant learning
more than others
Capability building is needed in several
dimensions…
Extent of Codification
More Explicit
More Managerial
Knowledge: More Theoretical
Skills: More Applied
Level of
Application
More Technical
Technical Nature
More Tacit
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Typical Satellite Architecture
Payload /
Instrument
Spacecraft Bus: Propellant, Power, Weight
Attitude Det. &
Control:
Range and accuracy of
payload
Communications:
data rate and volume
Command and Data
Handling: telemetry
req’s
Power: Average/peak
power requirements
Thermal: Payload and
battery temperature
limits
Structures: Launch
vibration and
acceleration
Guidance and
Navigation: Payload
pointing
Propulsion: Delta-V
and thrust level
Computer Systems:
Throughput, memory
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Satellite subsystems and major design drivers
(Wertz and Larson, SMAD, 1999)
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Key Differences in Design Process
Small Training Satellite Missions
Traditional Satellite Missions
Highly constrained design
architecture
Less constrained design
architecture
Low mission complexity – easily
comprehended by entire team
High mission complexity – each
person focuses on subsystem
Engineering team focuses on
manufacture, test, assembly,
integration
Engineering team focuses on
design, analysis and system level
trade-offs
Small team works in close
communication
Large team works in disjointed
fashion
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Conclusions
• Training satellite missions can be part of a long-term
process of capability building
• When is it best to apply these satellite systems engineering
tools for payloads and buses?
• The answer depends on…
–
–
–
–
–
–
Project objectives
Long term organizational strategy
Experience level of participants
Strengths of training organizations
Need for project documentation
Etc…
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Future Work
Satellite
Project
Implementation
Local Space
Organization
Collaborative
Satellite
Project
Foreign
Partner
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Capability
Building
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Future Work:
Learning Stories of Collaborate Satellite Projects
Turkey
Algeria
Egypt
UAE
Malaysia
Nigeria
Danielle Wood
Photo Credits: SSTL, EADS Astrium, SaTReC-I, Yuzhnoye)
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Thank you!
Questions?