Nigeriasat-1 and UK-DMC-1, part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation coordinated by DMCii, have this week reached their 8th operational year in orbit. Launched on September the 27th 2003 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on board a Kosmos 3-M rocket, Nigeriasat-1 and UK-DMC-1 have been providing imagery to their respective operators, NASRDA in Abuja, Nigeria and SSTL in Guildford, Surrey for the last 8 years.

In addition to its remote sensing payload, UK-DMC-1 also carries three experimental payloads which have in their own ways proven to be revolutionary: The Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO) was a pioneering implemention of an internet link in space. Working together, NASA Glenn Research Center, SSTL and Cisco Systems used UK-DMC-1 to demonstrate a prototype of the future Interplanetary Internet - being the first to evaluate the delay-tolerant networking bundle protocol in space.

The GPS Reflectometry experiment was the first dedicated experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of using GPS and GNSS reflections off the surface of the Earth to measure geophysical parameters, such as the roughness of the ocean surface. For the first time, spaceborne reflections were received from reflections off sea, ice, snow and land. A follow-on instrument has recently been designed and will be flying on TechDemoSat-1. The water Resistojet experiment was the first flight of this kind of technology. Water based propulsion avoids the complications and infrastructure required in using hazardous propellants at high pressures, and results in a useful level of thrust and efficiency at a very low cost.

SSTL prepares all its missions for End of Mission as a precautionary measure. UK-DMC-1 initiated its preparations in September 2010 and Nigeriasat-1 in June this year, which meant using up the remaining propellant to passivate the satellites. Using up the propellant also lowers the orbit and is an efficient way of reducing their remaining time in orbit. Since this work was completed, both satellites have continued their respective missions and will continue to provide imagery until End of Mission. The first satellite in the constellation Alsat-1, which was built by SSTL for the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) and launched in 2002, completed its mission last year having exceeded its original 5-year design lifetime by 50% to a remarkable 7 years and 9 months.

Satellite navigation (GNSS) experts from SSTL are contributing remote sensing and satellite know-how to a pioneering UK-led project that aims to improve forecasting of adverse weather conditions at sea.

Using satellite data to measure ocean roughness has been an area of interest for SSTL since an experimental GNSS receiver payload was launched onboard its UK-DMC satellite. During the past few years, the GNSS receivers team has investigated the use of GNSS reflectometry – the use of reflected navigation signals from space to characterise ocean weather – with promising results, and produced a prototype instrument in collaboration with partners in the UK that will be developed into a payload for the TechDemoSat-1 technology demonstration satellite.



Smarter shipping
In addition to shipping, many marine operations such as offshore oil platforms and renewable energy projects depend on high quality information on sea-state (wave height, period, direction, steepness) for economic and safety decision making. However, the information currently available is based on atmospheric/ocean models and lacks sufficient temporal and spatial resolution.

Martin Unwin, Principal Engineer commented,

Wave conditions are always changing and can vary tremendously over just 100km, or over a period of two hours. This also makes modelling and forecasting very difficult, so the most immediate use of this data is more likely to be what we call ‘nowcasting’ – assessing current conditions thoroughly before commencing an operation.

Another problem with conventional methods is that the use of buoys provides good information around the coast and shipping lanes, but is simply not economical nor practical for charting the vast oceans of Earth. This is one area where satellites, with their global view, are ideally equipped.

All hands on deck
Recognising the opportunity for an improved system, the UK’s Technology Strategy Board has provided co-funding for the WaveSentry project. WaveSentry will address shortcomings on two fronts:

• By exploiting new data sources that include SSTL’s novel satellite remote measurements of wave steepness.


• By integrating data from all sources in a single system (including real-time buoy and ship data).

This multi-disciplinary project will bring together partners from all areas to develop and apply techniques to substantially enhance the integration of diverse data sources to offer improved data about adverse sea-states to a number of markets. SSTL and its partner National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton, are investigating the potential for spaceborne GNSS Reflectometry measurements to contribute towards knowledge of sea state in combination with other data sources.

You can keep up to date with the WaveSentry project on the the Marine Southeast website.

This week DMCii has acquired satellite images of the Dollar Lake Fire in Oregon, USA showing the devastation caused by the current wildfires. According to officials, the fire is burning across 4,378 acres. There are now concerns that that strong winds and high temperatures may fuel the fire that is running close to Bull Run watershed, which is the main source of drinking water for people in Portland and many of its suburbs.

The fire started on the Labor Day holiday, September 5, 2011 at 5:06 p.m and is believed to have been caused by lightning. Emergency services are fighting to contain the fire with some nine helicopters and twenty four fire engines.

This satellite image is shown for illustrative purposes only. For news updates you may wish to visit on the Oregon Live website. There are updates on the Dollar Lake Fires at the Northwest Inter-agency Coordination Center.

The annual UK Space Conference was recently held at Warwick University and SSTL founder Sir Martin Sweeting attended the event as one of the speakers. The UK Space Conference was formally opened by The Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, and attracted leading figures from Europe’s space sector, providing an opportunity for an exchange of information between government, industry and the research community.

The UK Space Conference had an extra focus on key innovations and research outputs to help shape the space sector, highlighting the connections between the space sector and other sectors in the UK economy. As one of the speakers at the Innovation – Science, Business, Technology session, Sir Martin Sweeting highlighted the innovation and technological advances in small satellites and how these can change the economics of the space sector.

Interviewed at the conference, Sir Martin Sweeting talks about recent developments in SSTL, such as the new innovative leasing capacity contract with China and the new advanced technical facility in Guildford. Sir Martin said: “SSTL is one of Guildford’s best kept secrets. We’re in Guildford building satellites!”.