Rockot Multiple Orbit Mission Hits Different Orbits

LAUNCH PAD

The launch system ROCKOT has a lift-off mass of 107 tons and a height of 29 metres. ROCKOT will lift a maximum payload of up to 1,950 kg into high inclination orbits and in addition performs polar and sun-synchronous missions. Eurockot operates its own international standard satellite preparation, launch and customer facilities at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia following substantial investment by its parent company Astrium. Eurockot Launch Services was originally founded in 1995 by DASA (today Astrium) holding 51 percent and Khrunichev Space Centre, Moscow, holding 49 percent, to provide launch services to operators of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites. Eurockot is based in Bremen, Germany and serves the commercial as well as scientific and earth observation market segments.

Bremen - Jun 18, 2003
At the end of June 2003, Eurockot Launch Services, Bremen, will perform the Multiple Orbit Mission from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia. Eurockot will launch a total of eight scientific micro- and nano-satellites for different agencies and institutes by deploying them into an elliptical as well as into a sun-synchronous orbit. Additionally a mock-up of the Russian MONITOR satellite will be mounted on Breeze.

Eurockot will perform this mission based on the multiple re-ignition capability of its Breeze upper stage. This will be the first sun-synchronous mission of Rockot.

The flight will initially deploy one satellite into an elliptical orbit. After another impulse maneuver of the main engine, Breeze will then deploy seven further spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit at pre-determined intervals.

The MONITOR mock-up will remain on the upper stage and will de-orbit together with it. With this mission, Eurockot addresses the unique capability of its upper stage: Multiple re-ignitions allow it to be precisely positioned into different orbits and release several spacecraft successively.

Eurockot is cooperating with a number of international agencies and institutes to launch their micro and nano satellites: MIMOSA, the 66 kg satellite of the Czech Astronomical Institute and MOST, the 51.3 kg satellite of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are prime payloads for the Multiple Orbit Mission.

Furthermore, two student-built educational nano satellites, namely CubeSat XI of the University of Tokyo Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory (ISSL) and CUTE-I of the Tokyo Institute of Technology Laboratory for Space Systems (LSS) are part of the Multiple Orbit Mission flight.

The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies UTIAS leads the Nanosatellite Launch System NLS-1 and NLS-2 comprising 4 satellites. For this mission UTIAS is collaborating with the Danish Space Research Institute and the QuakeFinder Institute of the USA. The Russian Khrunichev Space Center will launch a mockup of its earth-observation satellite MONITOR.

The Czech MIMOSA satellite, with a total mass of 66 kg will be the first satellite to be deployed during the Multiple Orbit Mission, going into an elliptical orbit. MIMOSA, the acronym for MicroMeasurements Of Satellite Acceleration, will provide new data on the density of the upper atmosphere using the highly sensitive MACEK accelerometer.

The orbit will have an apogee of 820 km thus using the direct solar radiation pressure for the calibration of the instrument; the perigee altitude of 320 km will assure the penetration of the spacecraft into denser layers of the atmosphere. The MIMOSA satellite has been designed and completed by Czech research and industrial institutions under the leadership of the Czech Astronomical Institute.

Following the release of MIMOSA, Breeze will re-ignite its main engine in the apogee to reach a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) of 820 km altitude.

The Canadian Space Agency's MOST satellite will be the first to be released. MOST (Microvariability & Oscillations of Stars) will be carrying Canada's first space telescope, with a mass of 51.3 kg.

The telescope will help to set a limit on the age of the Universe and probe the properties of planets around other stars. Funded and managed by the Canadian Space Agency's Space Science Branch under its Small Payloads Program, the MOST project is the result of a co-operative Canadian scientific partnership.

After deploying MOST, 6 nano-satellites will be deployed at pre-determined intervals into an SSO as well. Two Japanese satellites CubeSat XI and CUTE-I will be released first.

CubeSat XI is the first satellite of the University of Tokyo Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory (ISSL) where 20 space-engineering students conduct the project within ISSL as an education program.

The mission of CubeSat XI is to apply the cube-satellite bus technology and to validate the use of commercial-off-shelf components in space. Another part of the mission is earth imaging.

CubeSat is a joint international program, which aims at developing and launching 10 cm cubic satellites weighing less than 1 kg. Twelve facilities in Japan, the USA and Taiwan have so far joined this program. The objective of the CubeSat program focuses primarily on education to improve students' skills of space engineering and project management.

CUTE-I (CUbical Titech Engineering satellite-I) of the Tokyo Institute of Technology Laboratory for Space Systems (LSS), is another 10cm cube satellite weigh 1 kg.

CUTE-I is again an educational project and its mission is to validate fundamental nano-satellite technology including original communication protocol check, solar paddle deployment with a small mechanism, and original CMOS sun sensor validation. CUTE-I will be released using a separation system developed by LSS.

Following these deployment maneuvers the NLS-1 satellites will be deployed. NLS-1 combines three 1 kg satellites using a launch tube. These satellites will be operated by different institutes, namely CanX-1 by the University of Toronto, Canada; AAU Cubesat by Aalborg University, Denmark and DTUsat by the Danish Technical University.

The main purpose of the satellites is star imaging. Next will be the NLS-2 satellite with QuakeSat of the US QuakeFinder Institute. QuakeSat weighs 3 kg and is also accommodated in a launch tube. The satellite's mission is an earthquake detection experiment.

The launch tubes of NLS-1/2 were developed by Stanford University, USA. Weighing 3-kg each, they are mounted directly onto the Rockot upper stage.

The mockup of Monitor, the Khrunichev-designed Russian earth observation satellite, will transmit mission profile simulation data during its entire flight. This mockup will remain on the Breeze upper stage and will also de-orbit with it. For this final manoeuvre the upper stage will be re-ignited once more.

Eurockot currently has an order book of six launches from international customers to deploy their scientific and commercial satellites. Marketing activities are concentrated in Europe, Asia and North America.

Following the Multiple Orbit Mission, Eurockot will perform a sun-synchronous launch of the Japanese SERVIS-1 satellite in 4Q2003. In summer 2004, the earth observation satellite CryoSat of the European Space Agency will be launched into a near polar orbit.

MICROSAT BLITX

Three SSTL Spacecraft Complete Pre-flight Tests At RAL For DMC

Guildford - Jun 02, 2003
British spacecraft manufacturers, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), have completed thermal vacuum tests on three spacecraft, UK-DMC, NigeriaSat-1 and BILSAT-1. The 100kg enhanced microsatellites will form part of the international Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC).

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