The worldwide pioneer in the development of mini-satellites Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, SSTL, has been awarded today by the Technology Strategy Board of the British Government (TSB) to lead the design of a national satellite technology demonstration called TechDemoSat-1 / TDM.
The central mission of the satellite TDM is being funded with a grant of £ 770.000 pounds of the Technology Strategy Board of the British government (TSB) and the Agency for the Development of South East England (SEEDA). Once developed this first phase, another £. 2'730, 000 pounds will be made to move to the construction and testing phase of the satellite, which will be Developed in just 18 months.
This new satellite to be developed in the UK, will test innovative technologies in the aerospace field. It is expected that the components and tools used in the satellite flight TechDemoSat (TDS) are applied in new satellites and to demonstrate their worth and enable them to gain new and important international projects.
In this satellite will include new instruments, one to measure the sea state, another to track vessels of the orbit (AIS), including one to destroy the satellite itself TDS at the end of his life, and thus reduce the "space pollution." The latter is a "candle" to deploy that force the satellite to leave the area and this will burn in the Earth's atmosphere, efficient technologies such as removing the space ship, is expected to have a large market in the future.
"There are a number of space companies based in Britain who have great technology and have to demonstrate it in orbit. We hope this initiative will help to test these new technologies and open new commercial markets for them, "he told BBC News Michael Lawrence of the TSB.
SURREY SATELLITE (SSTL) Leads the
Participants in the project are British companies Com Dev Europe, Selex Galileo, Qinetiq, Aero Sekur, RAL Space, Oxford University, University of Surrey, Leicester University, MSSL, the Langton Star Centre (which will provide an experiement of UK schools) and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, SSTL, the latter will lead the project.
GPS signal reflection
TechDemoSat will a tough schedule, as SSTL has to be able to send the satellite ready for launch in just 18 months. One of the biggest payloads is proposed SSTL itself is an instrument for observing the Earth of 7.5 kgs designed to measure the state of the sea. "The sensor uses the fact that there are a lot of GPS signals coming down from space and are reflected from the surface of the ocean. The instrument can measure the variation of these signals and therefore infer the state of the sea. So depending if the water is agitated or mild (the ocean altimetry), we obtain a different type of feedback signal said Doug Liddle, chief scientist of Surrey Satellite.
One of the smaller payloads, weighing only 750 g, is being provided by Selex Galileo, which includes a gyroscope the size of a sugar cube that can detect the orientation of the spacecraft.
Sekur Aero is behind the sail area, which is deployed a membrane that takes the residual air molecules still present in the spacecraft's orbit and drag it into the terrestrial orbit declines faster than it normally would be.
project is expected to emulate the project TechDemoSat MOSAIC (Micro Satellite Applications in Collaboration ) from a decade ago, at a cost of £. 11'millones pounds of public investment which was also led by Surrey Satellite, and technological innovations which ultimately resulted revenues by nearly 300 million pounds in the business of export of satellites and components.
These initiatives are part of the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy (Space-IGS) , a 20-year plan to maximize the potential of the space industry in the United Kingdom. If the satellite is delivered on time and within budget, we have a TechDemoSat-2. One issue that has yet to define what the means for the TDS-1 into orbit. The cost of transport to the space of a 150 kg spacecraft as TDS can cost around £. 2.5 'M, this is an issue that the UK Space Agency will be resolved soon.
MOSAIC Project: http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/Mosaic/
(*) are grateful for their dissemination .
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