AIAA Orange County Chapter
ASAT Conference
The Boeing 376 Satellite
A Brief History of the world’s most Popular Spin
Stabilized Spacecraft
John R. Ellison
May 2013
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Overview
• Boeing 376 spin-stabilized spacecraft was the first
satellite to be launched by the Space Shuttle.
• First built by Hughes Space and Communications
Company (Now Boeing Spacecraft Development
Center), El Segundo CA
• Boeing 376 models have two telescoping solar panels
and antennas that fold for compactness during launch.
• They were available in several configurations and
• were boosted by any of the world’s major launch
vehicles.
http://www.boeing.com/boeing/history/boeing/376sat.page
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Overview, Continued
• The first Boeing 376 satellite model was launched in 1980
• in 2002, the Boeing 376 was the world’s second most purchased
satellite
– after the Boeing 601.
• Boeing could produce a Boeing 376 satellite in less than 14 months.
– Due to its shorter manufacturing time compared to larger models, the
Boeing 376 filled a unique niche for customers who were entering the
business and needed a smaller spacecraft, or
– for established operators who had a specific business opportunity for a
specific region and needed a satellite on a short schedule.
• E-bird, launched in September 2003, was the last Boeing 376
launched and remains in service today, along with several other
Boeing 376 satellites
• Notable as the first satellite launched on the Shuttle with Sally Ride
being the payload specialist responsible for deployment
http://www.boeing.com/boeing/history/boeing/376sat.page
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What Is Spin Stabilized?
(If It Spins, It Wins!)
Dual-spin stabilized satellite -- 1-3 m. in
diameter, up to several meters tall;
lower section spins to provide
gyroscopic stability, upper section
does not spin (or spins very slowly or
intermittently) to point antenna and/or
other sensors in a specific direction
All Spinning
https://www.courses.psu.edu/aersp/aersp055_r81/satellites/satellites.html
http://www.tpub.com/neets/book17/76a.htm
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The 376
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1256&bih=814&tbm=isch&tbnid=mMZjSnstKrqrGM:&imgrefurl=
http://www.digitalsat.co.uk/3aconstruction.html&docid=2OMJOkCvW4nL_M&imgurl=http://www.digitalsat.c
o.uk/images/astra3abuild.jpg&w=450&h=550&ei=lflJUeacAcqDjAKb64GgAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1006
&vpy=105&dur=2500&hovh=248&hovw=203&tx=137&ty=126&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=122&start=0&nds
p=38&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:109
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/hs376.htm
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376 Progressive Variants
376-Classic
376-HP
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376-W
Some 376 Launches – 56 out of 58 Successful
STS with PAM-D
Delta-II with PAM-D
Images courtesy of Google.com
Search Engine (Public Domain)
Page 7 of 19
More 376 Launches
Atlas I
CZ-3
Ariane 44L and 44P
Ariane-3
http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sat/hs-376.htm
Page 8 of 19
Ariane-5G
Design Progression
• Throughout the 23 years that Boeing delivered the
Boeing 376 satellite, the design continuously evolved to
incorporate new technologies,
• More efficient solar cells produced by Boeing subsidiary,
Spectrolab.
• The Boeing 376W (W for Widebody) model is an
extension of the Boeing 376 family.
– The Boeing 376W is larger, wider, and more powerful than the
Boeing 376.
http://www.boeing.com/boeing/history/boeing/376sat.page
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376-HP MEASAT Upgrades
•
MEASAT was the first of the growth version of the HS 376, with three major
enhancements over the standard model. First, it delivers 40 percent more payload
power -- more than 1100 watts -- through the use of gallium arsenide solar cells.
MEASAT was also the first HS 376 model with Hughes' lightweight, high-gain shaped
antenna.
•
This antenna features a specially contoured surface that increases gain and
eliminates the need for multiple feedhorns. Additionally, MEASAT is the first HS 376
model using the more efficient bipropellant propulsion system for stationkeeping and
attitude control maneuvers. Such advanced antennas and propulsion systems are
being used on Hughes' larger HS 601 model satellites
•
A two-component rocket propellant, such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, fed
separately to the combustion chamber as fuel and oxidizer propulsion system for
stationkeeping and attitude control maneuvers. Such advanced antennas and
propulsion systems are being used on Hughes' larger HS 601 model satellites.
•
Both MEASAT-1 & 2 satellites were launched on Arianerockets from CSG at Kourou
in French Guiana.
– Dual launch configuration with a co-passenger was cost effective
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Hughes+gets+go-ahead+to+build+second+Malaysian+satellite.-a016051191
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Improvement Comparisons
376 Classic
376-HP
Solar Cells
Silicon
Gallium
Arsenide
Batteries
Nickel Cadmium
Nickel Hydrogen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%9
3hydrogen_battery
Propulsion
Hydrazine
Monopropellant
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MMH-MON3
Bipropellant
Nickel Cadmium Battery Cell
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http://www3.alcatel-lucent.com/bstj/vol42-1963/articles/bstj42-4-1687.pdf
NiCd technology is both weight and cost effective for
average power levels of about IkW. They are available
in
sizes ranging from 9Ah to 50Ah. NiCd batteries have
been used in space applications since the 1960's.
The thermal
management and the required support structures are
well understood.
A sizable database with both ground and flight
experience is available. Some disadvantages are: the
inability to maintain performance when cells are scaled
up
to more than 50Ah capacity, a sensitivity to overcharge
especially at high temperatures, long term storage
degradation and limited domestic sources for celIs. For
NiCd, failure is usually due to internal short circuits,
separator degradation and loss of electrolyte during
cycling.
Advanced design nickel cadmium cells are available that
eliminate some of these problems.
https://wiki.umn.edu/pub/SolarSail/WebHome/00686814.pdf
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Typical IPV Ni-H Battery
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The development of the nickel hydrogen battery
started in 1970 at Comsat
The nickel-hydrogen battery combines the positive
nickel electrode of a nickel-cadmium battery, and
the negative electrode includes the catalyst and gas
diffusion elements of a fuel cell
In one communication satellite battery, the pressure
at full charge was over 500 pounds/square inch (3.4
MPa), dropping to only about 15 PSI (0.1 MPa) at
full discharge.
If the cell is over-charged, the oxygen produced at
the nickel electrode reacts with the hydrogen
present in the cell and forms water; as a
consequence the cells can withstand overcharging
as long as the heat generated can be dissipated.
The cells have the disadvantage of relatively high
self-discharge rate, i.e chemical reduction of Ni(III)
into Ni(II) in the cathode:
NiOOH + 0.5 H2 = Ni(OH)2.
Compared with other rechargeable batteries, a
nickel-hydrogen battery provides good specific
energy of 55-60 watthours/kg, and very long cycle
life (40,000 cycles at 40% DOD) and operating life
(> 15 years) in satellite applications.
the gaseous nature of hydrogen means that the
volume efficiency is relatively low (60-100 Wh/L for
an IPV (individual pressure vessel) cell), and the
high pressure required makes for high-cost
pressure vessels
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battery_workshop_1993_Fig1_Nickel_
hydrogen_battery.jpg
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Propulsion Subsystem Thrusters
• Hydrazine Monoprop
– Thrust = 5 lbf (22N)
– ISP = ~ 230 sec
Patent number: 4,069,664
Filing date: Mar 22, 1976
Issue date: Jan 24, 1978
• MMH MON-3 Bipropellant
Not to scale
Inventor: Phil Donatelli, Hughes Aircraft Co.
Page 14 of 19
– Thrust = 5 lbf (22N)
– ISP = 293 sec
http://www.ampacisp.com/products_1.php
A Little More About Bipropellant Thrusters
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576504001614
Shanghai Institute of Space Propulsion, No. 680 Guiping Road, Shanghai 200233, PR China
Page 15 of 19
Rescue of Palapa B2 and Westar 6
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http://www.sattel.com/life_of_palapa_b2.htm
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Palapa B2 and Westar 6 made history twice. They
were launched side by side in the cargo bay of the
same Shuttle mission, in which BOTH experienced
the very same perigee motor stage
malfunction! BOTH satellites went into useless low
earth orbits of the same altitude.
Second, Palapa B2 and Westar 6 were the first
satellites in history to be retrieved and
relaunched. Only Palapa B2, however, was
relaunched at the Cape where it had started its
incredible journey of millions of miles, 6 years
earlier.
Finally, Palapa B2 had arrived safely back on earth
after 288 days in orbit, having traveled 119 million
miles in space!!
During its 9 months in low earth orbit Palapa B2
was struck by thousands of meteorites that left
small impact holes on its solar cells. During
refurbishment the solar cells were removed and
many were unavoidably destroyed in the process.
The few remaining nearly-intact cells were
encapsulated in Plexiglas displays of which only
four are known to exist today.
Westar 6 was ultimately relaunched as the first
Western satellite on the Chinese Long March
launch vehicle – a major first all by itself.
A Typical 376 Legacy
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The Brasilsat A1 Boeing 376 satellite, built by Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) in El Segundo,
Calif., was launched in 1985 and contracted to serve eight years. It was recently de-orbited, but
not before it became one of 93 Boeing-built satellites to outlast their contract life.
Nearly half of all satellites built by BSS, the satellite-manufacturing arm of Boeing Space and
Communications (S&C), a unit of The Boeing Co. , have surpassed their contract life.
"Brasilsat A1's long life speaks volumes about the robustness and reliability of the Boeing 376.
With 56 launched, we have a perfect on-orbit record, and because we built a lot of margin into the
initial design, so far 31 Boeing 376 satellites -- 55 percent -- have outlasted their contract life." (as
of 2002) – quote from Art Rosales, Boeing V.P.
BSS built the two Brasilsat A series spacecraft in the mid-1980s under a subcontract to Spar
Aerospace of Canada for Brazil's national telecommunications provider Embratel. Brasilsat A1
became the first national communications satellite to operate in South America.
After Brasilsat A1 served its contract life, Embratel leased the satellite to PanAmSat Corp., Wilton,
Conn. With its antenna re-aimed at North America, Brasilsat A1 continued to generate revenue for
PanAmSat until it was taken out of service in March 2002, more than 17 years after it was
launched.
The first Boeing 376 satellite model was launched in 1980, and today (2002) the Boeing 376 is the
world's second most purchased satellite after the Boeing 601. BSS can produce a Boeing 376
satellite in about 12-14 months.
Due to its shorter manufacturing time compared with larger models, the Boeing 376 should
"continue to fill a unique niche for customers who are getting into the business and need a smaller
spacecraft, or for established operators who have a specific business opportunity for a specific
region and need a satellite on a short schedule," Rosales said.
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=8322
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Other References of Interest
• http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sat/hs-376.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palapa
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Satellite_Developme
nt_Center
• http://www.sspi.org/?Static_Timeline
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AsiaSat_1
•
AIAA 20004-071, Parametric Examination of Propellant Temperature and
Pressure Effects on Transient Thermal Response of a Radiation-Cooled
Bipropellant Thruster; G.P. Purohit, P.A. Donatelli and J.R. Ellison - Hughes
Space and Communications Company and, V.K. Dhir - University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
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Supplemental Information
Harold A. Rosen
"Father of the Geostationary Satellite"; Member of National Academy of Engineering
Dr. Harold A. Rosen has earned worldwide recognition for his pioneering work in the field of
communications satellites and is widely recognized as “the father of the geostationary satellite” in
that he formed and led the team that designed and built the first successful geostationary satellite,
Syncom, and subsequently, as Vice President, went on to help build the world’s largest
communications satellite business at Hughes Aircraft Company. Dr. Rosen has received the 1995
National Academy of Engineering’s Draper Prize, the 1990 Arthur C. Clarke Award (presented by
the President of Sri Lanka), the 1985 National Medal of Technology (presented by President
Reagan), the 1985 Communications and Computing Prize from NEC, the 1982 Alexander Graham
Bell Medal and the 1976 Ericsson International Prize in Communications (presented by the King of
Sweden). In 2003, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In addition to the
above, he has received numerous other awards and honors, among them the 1992 Design News
Special Achievement Award, the 2003 Discover magazine Innovation Award, and the ISCe 2004
Lifetime Achievement Award. A holder of over eighty patents, he is a Fellow of the IEEE and the
AIAA. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of Caltech (1976), from which he received his PhD in
electrical engineering (with a minor in aeronautics). Dr. Rosen now consults for Boeing in the
design of new satellite systems. He lives with his wife, Deborah Castleman, in Santa Monica,
California. He has two sons, Robert and Rocky.
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