Since 1958 space activities have developed from a zero Euro business into a multi-billion Euro business with many applications. However, cost of access to space is high, spacecraft are prone to failure in the hostile space environment, and failures come at high cost.
Traditionally, spacecraft are build to exact specifications for a particular mission, and units designed for that mission could often not be reused without major modifications. Therefore during the past years Space agencies such as ESA and NASA already have taken steps towards reusing parts of a design. Examples are the Integral satellite, which reused part of the XMM Newton design and Mars Express, which reuses hardware originally developed for Rosetta. In general space projects are large scale and complex projects in which many aspects with significant uncertainty are to be considered to make the right decision.
The trend of spacecraft development is towards lighter, more intelligent systems that achieve reduced total mission costs or add more experiments as payloads on a single spacecraft. Also the number of missions in which formation flying of two or more spacecraft is required, is expected to increase. Size and mass are key elements in the cost of a spacecraft’s launch. Micro spacecraft can offer the same functionality at greatly reduced system and launch costs thereby potentially opening the space market to a wider range of participants. Using similar or identical micro satellite busses as a platform for missions with many different combinations of payload instruments will keep up the number of missions at a high level at less costs.
The MISAT Cluster (Cluster I of MicroNed) therefore focuses on the development of a micro satellite. This forms a technically comprehensive, challenging and interesting platform, permitting a broad range of experiments. This approach provides opportunities for component and system (sensors and actuators) qualification, monitoring behaviour in a space environment, and several autonomous system experiments.
At first instance, the MISAT research focuses on enabling technology for space based micro systems, with an emphasis on lower mass, lower volume, lower power and enhanced flexibility and re-configurability. The Cluster activities are focused on development of a knowledge infrastructure of micro system technology and the application in a strenuous environment. The robust systems that result will find a large number of applications “on earth”.
Next to the science and technology expectations, the development of a “real-life” micro satellite will establish a clear challenge able to attract young research talent, and it forms an eye-catching background for public relations.
Dr. ir. C.J.M. Verhoeven (c.j.m.verhoeven@tudelft.nl)
This WP focusses on navigation and orientation systems, RF
bus communication, sensors and interfaces for the space
environment and satellite docking systems.
Dr. ir. B. Monna (b.monna@systematic.nl)
Topics of this WP are: reconfigurable GPS, relative
navigation, microcooler systems for the space environment,
position determination via accelerometer and gradiometer
control, and microchannel interconnection system design.
Ir. A.R. Bonnema (a.r.bonnema@isispace.nl)
This WP focuses on the main micro satellite architectural
issues: strategies for reduction of size, weight, etc.,
damage-tolerant materials, software system architecture for
modular systems, and smart power distribution systems.
Prof. dr. ir. J.M.A. Scherpen (j.m.a.scherpen@rug.nl)
This WP focuses on solutions for autonomous formation
flying guidance and control for multiple satellite
constellations, multi sensors multi-satellites systems,
micro-propulsion for controlled in-formation flying, and
the theoretical modeling for control of distributed
systems.