OPS-SAT

OPS-SAT is a CubeSat by the European Space Agency (ESA) and it is intended to demonstrate the improvements in mission control capabilities that will arise when satellites can fly more powerful on-board computers. The satellite features an experimental computer that is ten times more powerful than any current ESA spacecraft.[6]

OPS-SAT [1]
Engineering model of OPS-SAT, seen on a test bench
Mission typeTechnological demonstrator
OperatorESA
Websitewww.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/OPS-SAT
Spacecraft properties
Bus3U CubeSat
ManufacturerGraz University of Technology, Austria
Launch mass7 kg
Dimensions96 mm × 96 mm × 290 mm
(3.8 in × 3.8 in × 11.4 in)
Start of mission
Launch date18 December 2019
RocketSoyuz VS23 [2]·[3]
Launch siteCentre Spatial Guyanais
(Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz)
ContractorArianespace [4]·[5]
 

The OPS-SAT mission has the objective to break the cycle of "has never flown, will never fly" in the area of satellite control. It will be the first CubeSat operated directly by ESA.[7]

Overview

OPS-SAT will provide an in-orbit test-bed environment for the deployment of different experiments to test new protocols, new algorithms, and new techniques. The satellite is being designed to be robust and no single point of failure should exist, therefore it shall be always possible to recover the spacecraft if something goes wrong with one of the software experiments. The robustness of the basic satellite itself will allow ESA flight control teams to upload and try out new, innovative control software submitted by experimenters.

In the experimental platform, the satellite will run the software experiments. One innovative concept is the deployment of space software in the form of apps. This is a new concept that ESA wants to test in space and it is different from previous ESA satellites. This concept is enabled by the NanoSat MO Framework (NMF). This app will then be uploaded to the spacecraft and started.

OPS-SAT has been launched at 08:54:20 UTC on 18 December 2019 exactly twenty-four hours later than originally planned.

Payload and communications

OPS-SAT payload devices:

  • Experimental Platform: Critical Link MityARM 5CSX
  • Fine ADCS
  • GPS
  • Camera
  • Software-defined radio
  • Optical Receiver

Communication links to ground:

  • S band: CCSDS-compatible S-band communication: Syrlinks - EWC31
  • X band: CNES funded X-band transmitter (payload of opportunity)
  • UHF: Backup communications link

Experimental Platform

The Experimental Platform of OPS-SAT is where experiments will be running. It has two Critical Link MityARM 5CSX in cold redundancy (if one fails, the second one is used). These have a Dual-core 800 MHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, an Altera Cyclone V FPGA, 1 GB DDR3 RAM, and an external mass memory device with 8 GB.[8]

ESA's aim is to remove as many barriers to experimentation as possible. For example, there will be no paperwork, ESOC's infrastructure will be ready to do automated tests on the experiments, and aims at reducing the overheads close to zero. Additionally, the experiments can be easily developed in form of apps using the NanoSat MO Framework.

NanoSat MO Framework (NMF)

The most innovative concept in OPS-SAT is the deployment of space software in the form of apps. The European Space Agency in collaboration with Graz University of Technology investigated and developed the NanoSat MO Framework.[9]

The NanoSat MO Framework (NMF) is a software framework for nanosatellites based on CCSDS Mission Operations services. It includes a Software Development Kit (SDK) to develop experiments as NMF Apps which can then be installed, started, and stopped in space. The framework also includes monitoring and control capabilities for the apps which will allow experimenters from the ground to take control of their software when it is running in space.[10]

The OPS-SAT system image comes with the NanoSat MO Framework which interfaces with all of the OPS-SAT payload systems and provides it in the form of services to the experimenter application. The NanoSat MO Framework allows simple integration of other libraries and applications. During the development of the experiments, the NMF SDK can be used and it includes a simulator, providing most of the platform functionalities accessible to the experimenter. The simulator allows developers to make their NMF Apps without the need to access an advanced satellite testbed hardware platform.

On the ground, EUD4MO will provide a web-based solution for the monitoring and control of NMF Apps. OPS-SAT experimenters will be able to take control using their web browser.

gollark: I try and design all my stuff to be fully Unicode-capable in case someone needs that. But I also don't bother to add internationalization for controls or anything because something.
gollark: As much as I like the existence of other cultures and all, wow are their writing systems annoying to handle on computers.
gollark: Looks like it contains two ARABIC LETTER MARKs.
gollark: Possibly other stuff.
gollark: It seems to contain a U+061C ARABIC LETTER MARK.

See also

References
  1. "OPS-SAT". ESA. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  2. CHEOPS exoplanet mission meets key milestones en route to 2017 launch. ESA, 11 July 2014
  3. CHEOPS has arrived in Kourou. Barbara Vonarburg. 16 October 2019
  4. "CHEOPS will ride on a Soyuz rocket". cheops.unibe.ch. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  5. CHEOPS - Mission Status & Summary
  6. "OPS-SAT". ESA. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  7. "OPS-SAT". ESA. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  8. "ESAW 2017" (PDF). ESA. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  9. "NanoSat MO Framework". Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  10. Coelho, Cesar; Koudelka, Otto; Merri, Mario (2017). "NanoSat MO Framework: When OBSW turns into apps". 2017 IEEE Aerospace Conference. pp. 1–8. doi:10.1109/AERO.2017.7943951. ISBN 978-1-5090-1613-6.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.