A LowCost Modular Platform for GEOSTATIONARY and NAVIGATION satellite missions

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A Low-Cost Modular Platform for GEOSTATIONARY and
NAVIGATION satellite missions

• Stuart Eves, Phil Davies, Doug Liddle,
• John Paffett, Martin Sweeting, Alex Da Silva
  Curiel
• Email s.eves_at_sstl.co.uk, p.davies_at_sstl.co.uk
• Tel [phone]
• Responsive Space LA - April 2004

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Why GMP?

• A new, much smaller, platform family
• Geostationary minisatellite platform (GMP)
• Designed to fill the market requirement for
  cost-effective, fast-response small geostationary
  spacecraft.
• The GMP family will target the missions with
  payload requirements of 90-260kg and 800-1500W

The SSTL geostationaryminisatellite (GMP)has
been designedspecifically to addressthe market
requirementfor a small,low-cost,rapid-schedule,
geostationary platform.
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Benefits of Modularity

• Reduced Cost -
• Rapid Response Target time of 1 year to launch
• Reduced Risk Flight proven hardware
• System Growth Allows for demand change during
  system life
• Geographic Diversity More options for slot
  coordination
• Robustness Graceful system degradation in case
  of failure
• Technology Insertion Opportunities to
  demonstrate new satellite technologies and
  services

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GMP - Complementary not competitive

• SSTL GMP has been designed specifically to
  address lower end of the market
• Intended to complement existing traditional GEO
  platforms and not compete with them
• The future could see small satellites used for
  proof of market, with larger spacecraft used to
  provide bulk capacity
• The GMP design allows clusters of satellites to
  be used as a coordinated asset

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The GMP Family

• Platform variants
• Two platform variants are planned
• Direct injection variant (GMP-D)
• Transfer variant (GMP-T)
• GMP-D
• Designed to utilise low-cost secondary direct
  injection launch opportunities e.g. Proton, Atlas
  5, Soyuz, Zenit, Angara, Dnepr
• Constraints 400kg maximum launch mass
• Results in limited payload accommodation capacity
• GMP-T (under development)
• Designed for conventional delivery into GTO
• Includes propellant for transfer
• Allows increased payload capacity
• Constraints Complement not competition
• 1500 W / 260kg payload limit

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GMP Specification
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GMP Payload Accommodation
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Example GMP-D Payload

• Description 6x Ku-band transponders
• Coverage Regional
• Uplink Single receiver
• cold redundant backup receiver
• G/T 10dB/K
• Downlink Six transmit chains
• Two cold redundant backup HPAs
• Transponder bandwidth 72 MHz
• Typical EIRP 50 dBW
• TTC Continuous telemetry and telecommand feed
• Satellite Antennas 0.5 0.7m
• Applications Television, Direct-To-Home
  broadcast, Internet connectivity, VSAT,
  telephony, Etc.

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GMP AIT

• Modular design
• Allows short duration programmes
• By permitting parallel manufacture and test

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GMP Operations

• As with SSTLs LEO spacecraft, GMP has sufficient
  on-board autonomy to provide the necessary
  payload availability without needing to resort to
  a traditional 24/7 man-in-the loop operations
  strategy

• Autonomy is distributed between on-board and
  on-ground systems
• On-board systems protected by rad-hard safety
  monitor
• Anomalies generate operator alerts via
  SMS/Internet

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GMP 1st Flight 2005

• ESA GSTB-V2
• Precursor to European Galileo programme
• Objective
• Secure frequency filing
• Measure MEO environment
• Demonstrate key payload technologies
• Provide Signal-in-Space for Experimentation
• Requirements
• Two year mission lifetime
• Low cost, rapid schedule
• Ideally suited to a SSTL solution

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GSTB Platform
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GSTB Schedule

• Schedule driven by Autumn 05 launch

QSR 31/07/03 PDR 27/11/03 CDR 30/06/04 IRR
23/08/04 TRR 04/05/05 FRR 10/08/05 LW
October 05
CDR
QSR
PDR
MR
Design
IRR
Manufacture

TRR
Integration
FRR
Environmental Test
Launch
KO 5 12 14 22 25
27
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Other Payloads Studied

• In addition to FSS and Galileo, SSTL has assessed
  the suitability of GMP for
• Mobile (S-UMTS) coverage over a region the size
  of Europe
• Bent-pipe and regenerative SBAS augmentation
  systems
• Slot clouds using ISL

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Conclusions

• In GMP, SSTL now has a responsive,low-cost
  beyond LEO platform
• GMP extends SSTLs low-cost engineering approach
  into new application areas
• Telecommunications
• Navigation
• Science
• Platform can also be used in MEO, GTO LEO
• SSTLs future developments will extend the
  capability and clusters of GMP could compete with
  the capabilities of traditional big satellites
• First flight of GMP will be ESAs GSTB-V2/A in
  05
• Demonstrating GMPs ability to carry complex
  payloads
• Demonstrating the rapid response capability
• on a high profile mission

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End

• Thank You!

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GMP Avionics Architecture
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GSTB Avionics Architecture