System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation

The operation of satellites in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) has been linked to a variety of benefits to both the spacecraft platform and mission design. Critically, for Earth observation (EO) missions a reduction in altitude can enable smaller and less powerful payloads to achieve the same performanc...

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Autores: Crisp, Nicholas H., Roberts, Peter C.E, Romano, Francesco, García-Almiñana, Daniel|||0000-0002-9301-828X
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/355688
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/355688
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.07.004
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Artificial satellites--Design and construction
Aerodynamics
Very low Earth orbit (VLEO)Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP)Aerodynamic controlVery-high resolutionSynthetic aperture radar (SAR)Earth observation (EO)
Satèl·lits artificials -- Disseny i construcció
Aerodinàmica
Vehicles espacials -- Sistemes de propulsió
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria de la telecomunicació::Radiocomunicació i exploració electromagnètica::Satèl·lits i ràdioenllaços
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai
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repository_id_str
spelling System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observationCrisp, Nicholas H.Roberts, Peter C.ERomano, FrancescoGarcía-Almiñana, Daniel|||0000-0002-9301-828XArtificial satellites--Design and constructionAerodynamicsVery low Earth orbit (VLEO)Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP)Aerodynamic controlVery-high resolutionSynthetic aperture radar (SAR)Earth observation (EO)Satèl·lits artificials -- Disseny i construccióAerodinàmicaVehicles espacials -- Sistemes de propulsióÀrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria de la telecomunicació::Radiocomunicació i exploració electromagnètica::Satèl·lits i ràdioenllaçosÀrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espaiThe operation of satellites in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) has been linked to a variety of benefits to both the spacecraft platform and mission design. Critically, for Earth observation (EO) missions a reduction in altitude can enable smaller and less powerful payloads to achieve the same performance as larger instruments or sensors at higher altitude, with significant benefits to the spacecraft design. As a result, renewed interest in the exploitation of these orbits has spurred the development of new technologies that have the potential to enable sustainable operations in this lower altitude range. In this paper, system models are developed for (i) novel materials that improve aerodynamic performance enabling reduced drag or increased lift production and resistance to atomic oxygen erosion and (ii) atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) for sustained drag compensation or mitigation in VLEO. Attitude and orbit control methods that can take advantage of the aerodynamic forces and torques in VLEO are also discussed. These system models are integrated into a framework for concept-level satellite design and this approach is used to explore the system-level trade-offs for future EO spacecraft enabled by these new technologies. A case-study presented for an optical very-high resolution spacecraft demonstrates the significant potential of reducing orbital altitude using these technologies and indicates possible savings of up to 75% in system mass and over 50% in development and manufacturing costs in comparison to current state-of-the-art missions. For a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, the reduction in mass and cost with altitude were shown to be smaller, though it was noted that currently available cost models do not capture recent commercial advancements in this segment. These results account for the additional propulsive and power requirements needed to sustain operations in VLEO and indicate that future EO missions could benefit significantly by operating in this altitude range. Furthermore, it is shown that only modest advancements in technologies already under development may begin to enable exploitation of this lower altitude range. In addition to the upstream benefits of reduced capital expense and a faster return on investment, lower costs and increased access to high quality observational data may also be passed to the downstream EO industry, with impact across a wide range of commercial, societal, and environmental application areas.Peer Reviewed20212021-10-0120212021-11-05journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501AMhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_ab4af688f83e57aainfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2117/355688https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.07.004reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPCinstname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)InglésengEuropean Commission http://doi.org/10.13039/100010661 Horizon 2020 Framework Programme 737183 DISCOVERER – DISruptive teChnOlogies for VERy low Earth oRbit platformsopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/3556882026-05-27T15:37:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
title System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
spellingShingle System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
Crisp, Nicholas H.
Artificial satellites--Design and construction
Aerodynamics
Very low Earth orbit (VLEO)Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP)Aerodynamic controlVery-high resolutionSynthetic aperture radar (SAR)Earth observation (EO)
Satèl·lits artificials -- Disseny i construcció
Aerodinàmica
Vehicles espacials -- Sistemes de propulsió
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria de la telecomunicació::Radiocomunicació i exploració electromagnètica::Satèl·lits i ràdioenllaços
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai
title_short System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
title_full System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
title_fullStr System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
title_full_unstemmed System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
title_sort System modelling of very low Earth orbit satellites for Earth observation
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Crisp, Nicholas H.
Roberts, Peter C.E
Romano, Francesco
García-Almiñana, Daniel|||0000-0002-9301-828X
author Crisp, Nicholas H.
author_facet Crisp, Nicholas H.
Roberts, Peter C.E
Romano, Francesco
García-Almiñana, Daniel|||0000-0002-9301-828X
author_role author
author2 Roberts, Peter C.E
Romano, Francesco
García-Almiñana, Daniel|||0000-0002-9301-828X
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Artificial satellites--Design and construction
Aerodynamics
Very low Earth orbit (VLEO)Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP)Aerodynamic controlVery-high resolutionSynthetic aperture radar (SAR)Earth observation (EO)
Satèl·lits artificials -- Disseny i construcció
Aerodinàmica
Vehicles espacials -- Sistemes de propulsió
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria de la telecomunicació::Radiocomunicació i exploració electromagnètica::Satèl·lits i ràdioenllaços
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai
topic Artificial satellites--Design and construction
Aerodynamics
Very low Earth orbit (VLEO)Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP)Aerodynamic controlVery-high resolutionSynthetic aperture radar (SAR)Earth observation (EO)
Satèl·lits artificials -- Disseny i construcció
Aerodinàmica
Vehicles espacials -- Sistemes de propulsió
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria de la telecomunicació::Radiocomunicació i exploració electromagnètica::Satèl·lits i ràdioenllaços
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai
description The operation of satellites in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) has been linked to a variety of benefits to both the spacecraft platform and mission design. Critically, for Earth observation (EO) missions a reduction in altitude can enable smaller and less powerful payloads to achieve the same performance as larger instruments or sensors at higher altitude, with significant benefits to the spacecraft design. As a result, renewed interest in the exploitation of these orbits has spurred the development of new technologies that have the potential to enable sustainable operations in this lower altitude range. In this paper, system models are developed for (i) novel materials that improve aerodynamic performance enabling reduced drag or increased lift production and resistance to atomic oxygen erosion and (ii) atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) for sustained drag compensation or mitigation in VLEO. Attitude and orbit control methods that can take advantage of the aerodynamic forces and torques in VLEO are also discussed. These system models are integrated into a framework for concept-level satellite design and this approach is used to explore the system-level trade-offs for future EO spacecraft enabled by these new technologies. A case-study presented for an optical very-high resolution spacecraft demonstrates the significant potential of reducing orbital altitude using these technologies and indicates possible savings of up to 75% in system mass and over 50% in development and manufacturing costs in comparison to current state-of-the-art missions. For a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, the reduction in mass and cost with altitude were shown to be smaller, though it was noted that currently available cost models do not capture recent commercial advancements in this segment. These results account for the additional propulsive and power requirements needed to sustain operations in VLEO and indicate that future EO missions could benefit significantly by operating in this altitude range. Furthermore, it is shown that only modest advancements in technologies already under development may begin to enable exploitation of this lower altitude range. In addition to the upstream benefits of reduced capital expense and a faster return on investment, lower costs and increased access to high quality observational data may also be passed to the downstream EO industry, with impact across a wide range of commercial, societal, and environmental application areas.
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021
2021-10-01
2021
2021-11-05
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
AM
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_ab4af688f83e57aa
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2117/355688
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.07.004
url https://hdl.handle.net/2117/355688
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.07.004
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv European Commission http://doi.org/10.13039/100010661 Horizon 2020 Framework Programme 737183 DISCOVERER – DISruptive teChnOlogies for VERy low Earth oRbit platforms
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/es/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/es/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
instname:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
instname_str Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
reponame_str UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
collection UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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