UK- DMC- 1, one of the first generation Disaster Monitoring Constellation satellites, is to be retired from service after over 8 years in orbit. UK-DMC-1, was launched on 27th September 2003 with fellow Constellation satellites NigeriaSat-1 and BILSAT-1 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on board a Kosmos 3-M rocket. It has exceeded its original 5-year design lifetime by over 50% with an impressive 8 years and 1 month of operation. UK-DMC-1’s imaging workload has now passed to UK-DMC2 and the new generation of DMC satellites, providing data continuity for DMCii’s customers.

UK-DMC-1 was part of the first-ever microsatellite Earth Observation constellation, which introduced remarkable EO abilities for both national and international benefit. The constellation is the work of a pioneering international co-operation consortium led by SSTL and made up of six countries: Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey, Spain and the United Kingdom.



In addition to UK-DMC-1’s remote sensing capability, the SSTL100 based satellite also carried several experimental payloads that have proved groundbreaking in themselves. The Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit (CLEO) was a joint project between NASA Glenn Research Center, SSTL and Cisco Systems. It tested delay-tolerant networking in space and led the way for developments towards an interplanetary Internet system.

The GPS Reflectometry experiment on UK-DMC-1 was the first dedicated experiment to demonstrate the viability of using reflected GPS signals from space to measure geophysical parameters, such as ocean weather. For the first time, spaceborne signals were received by the satellite from reflections off sea, ice, snow and land and a follow-on instrument will be flying on TechDemoSat-1. UK-DMC-1’s Resistojet technology was also the first of its kind. This water-based propulsion system proved to be both an efficient and low cost alternative to the use of hazardous propellants which require infrastructure and can cause complications at high pressures.

UK-DMC-1 retired gracefully; like all recent SSTL missions it was prepared for its ‘End of Mission’ as a precautionary measure to minimize space debris. This process began in September 2010 and involved using up its remaining propellant to passivate the satellite, and also lowering the orbit to reduce its remaining time in space before burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere. When this work was completed the satellite continued to be fully operational, continuing to relay image data down to SSTL’s groundstation.

Why retire now? Well, the satellite’s battery ages over the mission lifetime and has now reached a point, well beyond its original mission design life, where it is unable to provide enough power to support full payload operations. With this in mind, the SSTL Spacecraft Operations Team have suspended the UK-DMC-1 workload, and the satellite is now only monitored periodically from SSTL Mission Control in Guildford.

Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) has ordered nine GPS patch antennas from SSTL for the Cygnus™ advanced manoeuvring spacecraft – for those who don’t recognise the name, this is one of the forthcoming unmanned resupply spacecraft for the International Space Station (ISS)!

Orbital is the prime contractor for this spacecraft – which is one of the first truly commercial missions to be conducted for NASA.

The Cygnus spacecraft is being developed by Orbital to demonstrate cargo delivery services under a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement. In addition to the COTS development and demonstration program, Orbital will utilise the Cygnus to perform ISS resupply flights under the Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) contract. This NASA contract authorises eight missions between 2011 and 2015 carrying approximately 20,000 kg of cargo to the ISS, as well as disposal of ISS waste.

The coming together of the commercial space entrepreneurs and the world’s most established space agency is not the only story here. As you’d expect, flying cargo to the ISS has its challenges, not least of which is manoeuvring and docking with the space station and Cygnus in fact comprises a common service module and a pressurised cargo module.




For more information, visit the Cygnus Factsheet

SSTL manufactures the majority of its sub-systems used in its own and third party missions, they are available to order and have been used extensively on a range of small and larger third party missions. For more details, visit www.sstl.co.uk/divisions/systems-and-services/subsystems

Flight proven satellite platforms from Surrey Satellite Technology US LLC (SST-US) have been selected by NASA's Rapid Spacecraft Development Office (RSDO) for inclusion in the third NASA Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition Catalog (Rapid III).

SST-US’ Chief Executive Officer, Dr. John Paffett stated

It is a privilege for SST-US to have been selected by NASA for inclusion in the Catalog. It is recognition of the company’s capabilities, expertise and heritage. We believe that the Catalog provides an efficient route for SST-US to provide rapid, low risk, cost effective satellite solutions to NASA and other Government Agencies and we look forward to delivering future mission opportunities.

Through this contractual framework SST-US will be able to engage with NASA and other Government Agencies for the rapid provision of low risk, cost effective satellite solutions based on the SSTL 150, 300 and 600 platforms.

Continue reading "SST-US platforms get NASA seal of approval"

Using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists have detected ice deposits on the Moon near its north pole.

This is exciting news the World over because water is a key factor in the ability of an extra terrestrial environment to support life. The SSTL team is also watching with great interest because the payload is controlled by a specially built on-board computer (OBC) built by its team in Guildford - its first to be flown onboard a lunar mission. The OBC is programmed to control the instrument and to store the payload data which is then beamed back to the astounded NASA scientists on Earth.

NASA's Mini-SAR instrument found more than 40 small craters with water ice. The craters range in size from 1 to 9 miles (2 to 15 km) in diameter. Although the total amount of ice depends on its thickness in each crater, it's estimated there could be at least 1.3 trillion pounds (600 million metric tons) of water ice.

Continue reading "Chandrayaan-1 finds water on the Moon"