Transcript WFF_NSF_Brief_Rev_1
GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Small Satellite Opportunities at Wallops Flight Facility
Dr. John Campbell Director, Wallops Flight Facility
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
The Small Satellite Paradox
Small satellites are not funded (nor built) because of a lack of affordable launch opportunities and Affordable small satellite launch capabilities have been slow to emerge due to a limited market
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Small Satellite Launch Enablers
GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility 1. Low-cost small launch vehicles 2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges 3. Ride sharing
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Low-Cost Launch Vehicles
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Get-Away Special & Hitchhiker once served as the premier means for orbiting small satellites
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New small ELVs are moving to fill the void
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Minotaur I, IV, & V SpaceX Falcon 1 Etc.
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Essential characteristics of new vehicles
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Simple pad infrastructure
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Short time from arrival at range to launch Much lower cost per pound than current vehicles Streamlined range support requirements (e.g., data services, personnel accommodations)
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Small Launch Vehicle Options Conducted from Wallops
Launch Vehicle Trans-Lunar LEO Mass Injection Mass kg (est.) kg (est.)
Pegasus Taurus 3110/3113 Minotaur 1 Minotaur 4/5 Falcon 1 Falcon 9
Existing Options
420 1530 580 N/A 350 N/A
Near-Term Options
1680 490 620 ~9000 100 ~2000
Price ROM
~$30M ~$40M ~$20M ~$30M ~$10M ~$30M
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Small Satellites to the Moon
GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
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Small ELVs (e.g., Minotaur V) launched from Wallops can transport 350-500 kg (payload is ~50%) to the Moon
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Can provide low-cost options for Science and Exploration needs
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Remote sensing orbiters
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Impacters Small landers Communication & navigation orbiters
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Small Satellite Launch Enablers
GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility 1. Low-cost small launch vehicles 2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges 3. Ride sharing
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Launch Site on Wallops Island
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS)
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MARS owns 2 launch complexes at Wallops
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Used for Wallops small-to-medium class ELV missions
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MARS is a VA & MD sponsored partnership with NASA chartered to pursue commercial aerospace opportunities at Wallops
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Current agreements enable efficient work with Wallops, using multiple business models:
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NASA support of MARS commercial launches MARS support of NASA’s government launches
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Operating Areas
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Wallops operational areas offer nearly unlimited mission capabilities
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Restricted NASA-controlled airspace encompasses Launch Range & Research Airport
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NASA airspace provides direct access to Atlantic Ocean for hazardous mission operations
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Wallops location & geography provides the most efficient access to desirable mid-inclination orbits of 38 60 degrees
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Low-Cost Responsive Range Operations
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Wallops Launch Range is “right sized” for small spacecraft missions
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Small spacecraft missions not competing against large ELVs or Shuttle
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Staff & facilities sized for small orbital missions
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Wallops has a history & reputation for supporting emerging, low-cost launch vehicles
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Schedule flexibility allows for development mission complications
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Safety & project support culture of assisting projects during development
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility Spacecraft Plus Upper Stage Arrival ~L-30 days
Launch Site Integration Flow
Pad ~L-14 days Launch!
Range Control Center
Lower Stages Arrival ~L-30 days
Blockhouse 3
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Minotaur I Launch @ Wallops
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Small Satellite Launch Enablers
GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility 1. Low-cost small launch vehicles 2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges 3. Ride sharing
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Ridesharing
GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
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Small ELVs are still larger than necessary for many small satellites
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Multi-manifesting of small ELVs is critical to ensuring that “Micro-Explorer” spacecraft (50-200 lbs.) mature as a viable class of spacecraft
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Wallops has developed the Multi-Payload Ejector as a key enabler to exploit small ELVs for spacecraft smaller than 1000 lbs.
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Multi-Payload Ejector
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MPE able to carry >800 lbs. of individual spacecraft
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1 primary (up to 200 lbs.) 6 secondaries (up to 100 lbs. each) 12 CubeSat tertiaries (up to 3 lbs. each)
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Flexible
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Configurable for any launch vehicle, as primary for smaller ELV & secondary for larger ELVs
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Can be flown as 1, 2, or 3 segments allowing trade-offs on individual spacecraft masses/volume & orbital altitude
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Low-cost & simple
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Completes payload deployments within ½ orbit Motorized spring deployments (no pyrotechnics) Sounding rocket qualified timers Single input from launch vehicle initiates all MPE events Launch vehicle provides only necessary guidance/control
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Rapid Integration
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
Spacecraft I&T
MPE Integration Flow
MPE Integration Vehicle Integration & Test
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Spacecraft (S/C) Development & Test S/C Arrival @ Wallops S/C Receiving & Inspection
T-4 weeks T-3
S/C Integration with MPE
weeks T-2 weeks
MPE Integration with ELV
T-1 week Launch Day
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
MPE Simulation
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GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility
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Small Satellite Launch Costs by the Pound Not by the vehicle Component Costs, w/o Spacecraft (Wallops Launch):
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MPE (NASA): $1.5M
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I&T (NASA): $300K
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Range Services (NASA): Launch Vehicle $1.5M
$16M (assumes Minotaur I)
TOTAL: $19.3M
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Payload Capacity (MPE 3-stack configuration)
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MPE Structure: ~300 lbs.
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1 primary spacecraft: 6 secondary spacecraft (100 lbs. each): 12 Cubesats (3 lbs. each) 200 lbs.
600 lbs.
36 lbs.
Total Spacecraft mass for 19 spacecraft 836 lbs
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Cost per payload mass
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Minotaur I: $23K/payload lb.
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Falcon I: $13.5K/payload lb.
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Small Satellite Launch Enablers
GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility 1. Low-cost small launch vehicles 2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges 3. Ride sharing
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