The Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship brought loads of new scientific experiments to the International Space Station in early October. That’s just one of the works of the craft, though. As soon as it leaves the station Cygnus will continue to work by hosting a two-week trial of emerging technologies called SharkSat.
Developed internally at Northrop Grumman, SharkSat is just one example of the many technology displays supported by the space station for the benefit of space exploration and humans on Earth.
SharkSat will collect on-board telemetry – or measurement and other digital information – and send it back to the floor for analysis, said David Schiller, former lead analyst for SharkSat. “In this case, the telemetry data will provide an overview of the health and activity of the electronic components of SharkSat.”
These components focus on the development of Ka-Band software definition (SDR) radio. “Ka-Band” refers to the frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum at which it operates. The electromagnetic spectrum range of radiation frequency includes such visible light from a lamp in your house, the ones created by the microwave in your kitchen, and the frequencies coming from a radio station.
As more applications use this spectrum to communicate, some bandwidths continue to grow. Ka-Band is currently less full spectrum and offers data transfer rates that are hundreds of times faster than current bandwidths in use. Using the Ka-Band presents technological challenges, however, which SharkSat intends to help overcome. The study’s SDR combines advanced versions of components such as integrated circuits, digital capture devices, and multifunction systems.
“SharkSat is a stepping stone toward reusing this equipment for a number of future applications,” Schiller says. “Its improvements are based on using the more advanced and higher performance components that are more capable, but consume less power.”
Possible uses of the technology include various types of terrestrial 5G telecommunications, as well as place-to-place and ground-to-ground communications, among others.
SharkSat will also help pave the way for the development of next-generation technologies for space applications. These applications need to be balanced with the use of proven, mature technologies or more advanced components that offer greater capabilities. Technologies like SharkSat can help address the challenge of the slower evolution of electronics in space compared to commercial electronics, Schiller says.
Using Cygnus ’existing infrastructure as the host spacecraft for the test allowed the company to focus on the technology, he said. “Cygnus provides a low-risk and high-performance platform for this test. This test is the gravestone of a long series of events. If it goes as well as we hoped, it will be possible for us to evaluate how well these new technologies work. Low-Earth orbit. “
Northrop Grumman was also able to use SharkSat development to help advance the next generation of technical talent, creating a team that included early-career engineers along with more experienced engineers.
“SharkSat’s development timeline was much faster than many of our space programs, a two-year development cycle starting to come to an end,” Schiller says. “That gave team members a quick introduction to the relatively early careers at all stages of the program lifecycle, where they can spend another two years on just a fraction of the cycle on another project. “
Operations will begin after the 14th Cygnus Northrop Grumman commercial spacecraft is relocated from the station. SharkSat performs three passes over the ground system every day for at least two weeks, powering up each pass. The on-board processor collects health and status data, and at the end of each pass, SharkSat forwards the telemetry to Cygnus. The spacecraft then stores the data until the next downlink opportunity, when it is sent back to the Cygnus mission activity center in Dulles, VA. As soon as he completes these missions, Cygnus deorbit and takes one last task: get rid of several tons of garbage from the space station as it enters Earth’s atmosphere.
That will be a cover for this Cygnus and other technology demonstration with station-building capability.
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