Sun-synchronous Orbit Research Articles

The Mars system revealed by the Martian Moons eXploration mission

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans a Phobos sample return mission (MMX: Martian Moons eXploration). In this study, we review the related works on the past climate of Mars, its evolution, and the present climate and weather to describe the scientific goals and strategies of the MMX mission regarding the evolution of the Martian surface environment. The MMX spacecraft will retrieve and return a sample of Phobos regolith back to Earth in 2029. Mars ejecta are expected to be accumulated on the surface of Phobos without being much shocked. Samples from Phobos probably contain all types of Martian rock from sedimentary to igneous covering all geological eras if ejecta from Mars could be accumulated on the Phobos surface. Therefore, the history of the surface environment of Mars can be restored by analyzing the returned samples. Remote sensing of the Martian atmosphere and monitoring ions escaping to space while the spacecraft is orbiting Mars in the equatorial orbit are also planned. The camera with multi-wavelength filters and the infrared spectrometer onboard the spacecraft can monitor rapid transport processes of water vapor, dust, ice clouds, and other species, which could not be traced by the previous satellites on the sun-synchronous polar orbit. Such time-resolved pictures of the atmospheric phenomena should be an important clue to understand both the processes of water exchange between the surface/underground reservoirs and the atmosphere and the drivers of efficient material transport to the upper atmosphere. The mass spectrometer with unprecedented mass resolution can observe ions escaping to space and monitor the atmospheric escape which has made the past Mars to evolve towards the cold and dry surface environment we know today. Together with the above two instruments, it can potentially reveal what kinds of atmospheric events can transport tracers (e.g., H2O) upward and enhance the atmospheric escape.Graphical

Analytical Propagation of Space Debris Density for Collisions near Sun-Synchronous Orbits

The increasing frequency of human launches has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of space debris, especially near sun-synchronous orbits. Most of the fragments are small in size, which may make tracking difficult. Therefore, characterizing the distribution, evolution, and collision risk of small debris has long been a difficult issue. This paper is aimed at investigating the orbital evolution and global dispersion behavior of debris clouds near sun-synchronous orbits. Firstly, the NASA breakup model is used to provide an initial distribution of small fragments after collision events. Secondly, the continuity equation is adopted to propagate the density variation analytically. Furthermore, we introduce some statistical quantities and the entropy of debris clouds to model the randomness and band formation. A theorem concerning the equivalence of the band formation and maximal entropy is presented. The accuracy of the band formation time estimation is also discussed. For noncatastrophic collisions at an altitude of 800 km due to a projectile with a mass of 100 g and a collision velocity of 1 km/s, we compare the analytical and numerical results of space debris density. The results show that the maximal peak error is within 0.17, and the mean square error is about 0.25 at 400 days. Additionally, the entropy of right ascension of the ascending node is 8.5% less than that for debris clouds near an orbit with the same altitude and an inclination of 30 deg. This indicates the concentrating behavior for debris clouds near sun-synchronous orbits.

The Intelligent Trajectory Optimization of Multistage Rocket with Gauss Pseudo-Spectral Method

The rapid developments of artificial intelligence in the last decade are influencing aerospace engineering to a great extent and research in this context is proliferating. In this paper, the trajectory optimization of a three-stage launch vehicle in the powering phase subject to the sun-synchronous orbit is considered. To solve the optimal control problem, the Gauss pseudo-spectral method (GPM) is used to transform the optimization model to a nonlinear programming (NLP) problem and sequential quadratic programming is applied to find the optimal solution. However, the sensitivity of the initial guess may cost the solver significant time to do the Newton iteration or even lead to the local minimum. Aiming at this issue, a good initial guess generated by combination of harmony search and GPM is introduced to help the optimizer to faster and better solve the sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) trajectory optimization. Comparative simulation tests are conducted with the proposed algorithm and popular approaches, the results indicate that with the optimized initial guess, the proposed method could achieve better performance in terms of convergence ability and convergence rate.

In-flight performance analysis and antenna phase center calibration of MEMS GPS receiver on-board TianQin-1 in the nadir-pointing and Sun-pointing modes

The TianQin-1 satellite, which was launched on 20 December 2019 into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 628 km, is the first technology demonstration satellite for the TianQin project. A micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) global positioning system (GPS) receiver is installed on the satellite for precise orbit determination (POD). In addition to the conventional nadir-pointing mode, a specific Sun-pointing mode was used by the satellite owing to the limitation of system resources. The in-flight performance of the MEMS GPS receiver was assessed. The average numbers of available satellites for dual-frequency navigation in the nadir-pointing and Sun-pointing modes are 7 and 5, respectively. The qualities of the P2 code and carrier phase observations are basically equal for both modes. The average root mean square of the multipath errors for C1 observations in the Sun-pointing mode is 0.29 m, slightly larger than that in the nadir-pointing mode. In the Sun-pointing mode, the body of the TianQin-1 satellite rotates around the Sun-pointing axis, which may provide favourable geometric conditions for the estimation of the antenna phase center offset (PCO) corrections in the X, Y, and Z directions. Its feasibility is demonstrated using the simulated data. The GPS measurements of TianQin-1 are then used to estimate the PCO corrections in all three directions while in the Sun-pointing mode and in the Z direction while in the nadir-pointing mode. Satellite laser ranging validation shows that the orbit accuracy of TianQin-1 is approximately 5.90 cm in the nadir-pointing mode. In the Sun-pointing mode, the three-dimensional position difference of 5-h overlap decreased from 8.87 cm to 8.73 cm when the antenna PCO corrections were used in the POD.

Correcting Calibration Drifts Using Solar and Lunar Intrusions for Miniaturized Microwave Radiometers

CubeSats with miniaturized microwave radiometers are now demonstrating the potential to provide science-quality weather measurements. For example, the Micro-Sized Microwave Atmospheric Satellite-2A (MicroMAS-2A) and Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems–Demonstration (TEMPEST-D) CubeSats are both launched in 2018 and have demonstrated microwave atmospheric sounder data from orbit. The NASA Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission is a follow-on constellation of six 3U CubeSats based on the MicroMAS-2 design that is scheduled for launch no sooner than 2021. The TROPICS sensors use internal noise diodes (NDs) for calibration. Although the NDs on TROPICS are similar to technology flown on GMI, they have not been tested on-orbit at TROPICS frequencies. In order to track and correct ND drift, we develop a novel method of calibration for CubeSat constellations, such as TROPICS, by incorporating periodic solar and lunar intrusions as an additional source of information to counter ND drift. These lunar intrusions also occur for existing satellites hosting microwave radiometers in sun-synchronous polar orbits but are much more infrequent than for the TROPICS constellation’s scanning payload. In this work, we develop a solar/lunar calibration correction algorithm and test it using advanced technology microwave sounder (ATMS) lunar intrusion data. The mean bias and standard deviation between the solar/lunar calibration correction algorithm and actual ATMS data fall within the expected ATMS error budget of 0.6–3.9 K, validating our model.

Acquisition of Moon Measurements by Earth Orbiting Sensors for Lunar Calibration

The reflected light from the Moon can be utilized as a reference for radiometric calibration by employing a model to generate reference values corresponding to the Moon observations made by instruments. Using a calibration target that is outside the atmosphere provides a distinct advantage for space-based instruments; however, the lunar irradiance sensed by satellite instruments naturally changes as the host spacecraft traverses its orbit. This article presents a study of the potential impact on lunar radiometric measurements due to their acquisition from an orbiting platform. A simulation of a Sun-synchronous orbit was coupled to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) lunar model to generate predicted irradiances for points along orbit passes through several lunations. These irradiance values exhibit variations tied to the spacecraft motion, arising primarily from changes in the Moon-sensor distance and the phase angle. The two effects are similar in overall magnitude, but their respective contributions depend on the time of month and the orbit. Relative changes in irradiance mostly fall within an envelope of ±0.006% per second, except at the smallest phase angles. These studies enable planning space-based Moon observations to minimize the change in the target irradiance, an important consideration for measurements acquired for radiometric characterization of the Moon.

Angular-Dependent Polarized Characteristics of Surface Emissivity at 150 GHz Over Saharan and Taklimakan Deserts

This study characterizes the marginally-known angular-dependent polarization difference of the land surface emissivity (LSE), using the microwave humidity sounder (MWHS) onboard China’s sun-synchronous satellite FengYun-3B (FY-3B). The instrument has two quasi-polarization channels at 150 GHz in addition to the three water-vapor absorption channels in the vicinity of 183 GHz, allowing observations at quasi vertical and horizontal polarizations with its cross-track scanning geometry. The Saharan and Taklimakan deserts are taken as examples due to the relatively homogeneous surface conditions. In the two 150 GHz channels of MWHS, the polarization bias is corrected according to the measurements at the Earth incidence angle (EIA) of 0°. The monthly-mean quasi-polarization difference (QPD) at 150 GHz is found to be varying with the EIA and exhibits seasonal variations over deserts. The QPD reaches a maximum value at the EIA of ~35°, while the zero value appears near the EIA of ~53° (equal to the satellite viewing angle of 45°) as expected. In contrast to the relatively stable and low QPD over Sahara, the QPD, quasi polarized emissivity difference and pure polarized emissivity difference are generally larger in the Taklimakan Desert, where the maximum monthly QPD is ~4 K and the polarized emissivity difference increases monotonously to ~0.2 at the EIA of 50°. The complex surface parameters and temporal variabilities impinge on the uncertainties of the land polarization. The increasing soil moisture due to precipitation damps the dichroic ability of the land surface, while the frozen surface due to snowfalls in cold seasons enhances the polarization.

Simulation of External Stray Light for FY-3C VIRR Combined with Satellite Orbit Attitude Model

Optical imaging systems mounted on a Sun-synchronous satellite are probably disturbed by stray light when working in the space environment. Existing research has shown that the Visible Infrared Radiometer (VIRR) onboard the FY-3C satellite is affected by external solar stray light radiation when imaging the ground. In this paper, based on analyzing the solar stray light generation mechanism, we propose a simulation and analysis method combined with the given satellite orbit attitude model to investigate the influence of external solar stray light on VIRR’s imaging quality. We use the FY-3C orbit parameters to obtain the variation pattern of the angles between the solar vector and the payload. Based on the VIRR mechanical structure and optical scattering model, light tracing is performed to investigate the spatial distribution of irradiation on the primary mirror. The results of the occurrence time and intensity of stray light obtained by the simulation are consistent with the actual data when imaging the ground, which verifies that the proposed method is a correct and effective way to investigate the regularity of the external stray light of on-orbit payload.

Estimation and analysis of the influence of ionizing radiation on the operation of nanosatellite onboard radio electronic equipment

The paper presents the results of a calculation aimed to study the influence of ionizing, bremsstrahlung radiation on the operation of a nanosatellite obtained during the implementation of the project 0777-2020-0018 in 2020. A comparative analysis of the results of calculating the specific ionization and radiation energy losses of protons (from 0.1 to 400 MeV) and electrons (from 0.04 to 7 MeV), as well as their path lengths in aluminum according to the formulas of various authors and the database of materials of the National Institute of Standards and Technologies is presented. Based on the analysis results, the annual dose in the aluminum structure of the SamSat ION nanosatellite in a circular sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is calculated. All calculations are based on the data of the energy spectra of protons and electrons of the SSO given in the Information system Spenvis of the European Space Agency. The results of calculating the integral fluxes in aluminum under the action of protons and electrons of a circular SSO for different thicknesses are obtained, and the fraction of passed particles is shown in the approximation of a single-layer stack. The radiation resistance of the electronic elements ISL70321SEH, ISL73321SEH and Virtex-4QV, Virtex-5QV included in the SamSat ION avionics and its ability to operate during a year was assessed.

Dynamics of an autonomous spacecraft control system at initial transition to a tracking mode

The problems of autonomous digital control of the information satellites and space robots during their initial transition to a tracking mode, namely in the initial orientation modes, are considered. Autonomous angular guidance and modularly limited vector digital control using a vector of the modified Rodrigues parameters are applying to bring the spacecraft’s orientation from completely arbitrary to the required one. The developed methods, algorithms and simulation results for a mini-satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit are presented.

LEO Satellites Constellation-to-Ground QKD Links: Greek Quantum Communication Infrastructure Paradigm

Quantum key distribution (QKD) has gained a lot of attention over the past few years, but the implementation of quantum security applications is still challenging to accomplish with the current technology. Towards a global-scale quantum-secured network, satellite communications seem to be a promising candidate to successfully support the quantum communication infrastructure (QCI) by delivering quantum keys to optical ground terminals. In this research, we examined the feasibility of satellite-to-ground QKD under daylight and nighttime conditions using the decoy-state BB84 QKD protocol. We evaluated its performance on a hypothetical constellation with 10 satellites in sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that are assumed to communicate over a period of one year with three optical ground stations (OGSs) located in Greece. By taking into account the atmospheric effects of turbulence as well as the background solar radiance, we showed that positive normalized secure key rates (SKRs) up to 3.9×10−4 (bps/pulse) can be obtained, which implies that satellite-to-ground QKD can be feasible for various conditions, under realistic assumptions in an existing infrastructure.

Two-Stage Pursuit Strategy for Incomplete-Information Impulsive Space Pursuit-Evasion Mission Using Reinforcement Learning

This paper presents a novel and robust two-stage pursuit strategy for the incomplete-information impulsive space pursuit-evasion missions considering the J2 perturbation. The strategy firstly models the impulsive pursuit-evasion game problem into a far-distance rendezvous stage and a close-distance game stage according to the perception range of the evader. For the far-distance rendezvous stage, it is transformed into a rendezvous trajectory optimization problem and a new objective function is proposed to obtain the pursuit trajectory with the optimal terminal pursuit capability. For the close-distance game stage, a closed-loop pursuit approach is proposed using one of the reinforcement learning algorithms, i.e., the deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm, to solve and update the pursuit trajectory for the incomplete-information impulsive pursuit-evasion missions. The feasibility of this novel strategy and its robustness to different initial states of the pursuer and evader and to the evasion strategies are demonstrated for the sun-synchronous orbit pursuit-evasion game scenarios. The results of the Monte Carlo tests show that the successful pursuit ratio of the proposed method is over 91% for all the given scenarios.

Оценка и анализ радиационной стойкости радиоэлектронных элементов на кремниевой основе бортовой аппаратуры наноспутника при воздействии ионизирующего излучения солнечно-синхронной орбиты.

The paper presents the results of a calculation to study the influence of ionizing, bremsstrahlung radiation on the functioning of a nanosatellite. A comparative analysis of the results of calculating the specific ionization and radiation energy losses of protons (from 0.1 to 400 MeV) and electrons (from 0.04 to 7 MeV), as well as their path lengths in aluminum according to the formulas of various authors and the database of materials of the National Institute of Standards and Technologies is presented. Based on the analysis results, the annual dose in the aluminum structure of the SamSat-ION nanosatellite in a circular sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) is calculated. All calculations are based on the data of the energy spectra of protons and electrons of the SSO given in the "Information system Spenvis of the European Space Agency". The results of calculating the integral fluxes in aluminum under the action of protons and electrons of a circular SSO for different thicknesses are obtained, and the fraction of passed particles is shown in the approximation of a single-layer stack. Estimation of the radiation resistance of the electronic elements ISL70321SEH, ISL73321SEH and Virtex - 4QV, Virtex -5QV included in the SamSat - ION in the approximation of a double-layer stack was made for various thickness of Si and its ability to operate during the year.

MOSAIC: A Satellite Constellation to Enable Groundbreaking Mars Climate System Science and Prepare for Human Exploration

Abstract The Martian climate system has been revealed to rival the complexity of Earth’s. Over the last 20 yr, a fragmented and incomplete picture has emerged of its structure and variability; we remain largely ignorant of many of the physical processes driving matter and energy flow between and within Mars’ diverse climate domains. Mars Orbiters for Surface, Atmosphere, and Ionosphere Connections (MOSAIC) is a constellation of ten platforms focused on understanding these climate connections, with orbits and instruments tailored to observe the Martian climate system from three complementary perspectives. First, low-circular near-polar Sun-synchronous orbits (a large mothership and three smallsats spaced in local time) enable vertical profiling of wind, aerosols, water, and temperature, as well as mapping of surface and subsurface ice. Second, elliptical orbits sampling all of Mars’ plasma regions enable multipoint measurements necessary to understand mass/energy transport and ion-driven escape, also enabling, with the polar orbiters, dense radio occultation coverage. Last, longitudinally spaced areostationary orbits enable synoptic views of the lower atmosphere necessary to understand global and mesoscale dynamics, global views of the hydrogen and oxygen exospheres, and upstream measurements of space weather conditions. MOSAIC will characterize climate system variability diurnally and seasonally, on meso-, regional, and global scales, targeting the shallow subsurface all the way out to the solar wind, making many first-of-their-kind measurements. Importantly, these measurements will also prepare for human exploration and habitation of Mars by providing water resource prospecting, operational forecasting of dust and radiation hazards, and ionospheric communication/positioning disruptions.

High-Precision Angle Prediction of Sun for Space Remote Sensing Instrument

In order to grasp the timing of sun calibration in advance, this paper introduces a high-precision method to predict the solar angle by using the current broadcast time and orbital instantaneous root of the satellite platform. By calculating the sun’s apparent right ascension and apparent declination, the conversion matrix from the geocentric inertial coordinate system to the orbital coordinate system, and the satellite attitude correction matrix, the sun vector in the satellite body coordinate system is obtained. This method is used to predict the sun angle of a sun synchronous orbit in the satellite coordinate system, and the prediction results are compared with the STK simulation results. The results show that the sun angle prediction error of this method is less than ±0.003°. It can meet the requirements of on-orbit solar calibration. The main error sources in the prediction method are analysed.

The Monitoring Nitrous Oxide Sources (MIN2OS) satellite project

The Monitoring Nitrous Oxide Sources (MIN2OS) satellite project aims at monitoring global-scale nitrous oxide (N2O) sources by retrieving N2O surface fluxes from the inversion of space-borne N2O measurements that are sensitive to the lowermost atmospheric layers under favorable conditions. MIN2OS will provide emission estimates of N2O at a horizontal resolution of 1° × 1° on the global scale and 10 × 10 km2 on the regional scale on a weekly to monthly basis depending on the application (e.g., agriculture, national inventories, policy, scientific research). Our novel approach is based on the development of: 1) a space-borne instrument operating in the Thermal InfraRed domain providing, in clear sky conditions, N2O mixing ratio in the lowermost atmosphere (900 hPa) under favorable conditions (summer daytime) over land and under favorable and unfavorable (winter nighttime) conditions over the ocean and 2) an atmospheric inversion framework to estimate N2O surface fluxes from the atmospheric satellite observations. After studying three N2O spectral bands (B1 at 1240–1350 cm−1, B2 at 2150–2260 cm−1 and B3 at 2400–2600 cm−1), a new TIR instrument will be developed, centered at 1250–1330 cm−1, with a resolution of 0.125 cm−1, a Full Width at Half Maximum of 0.25 cm−1 and a swath of 300 km. To optimally constrain the retrieval of N2O vertical profiles, the instrument will be on-board a platform at ~830 km altitude in a sun-synchronous orbit crossing the Equator in descending node at 09:30 local time in synergy with two other platforms (Metop-SG and Sentinel-2 NG) expected to fly in 2031–32 aiming at detecting surface properties, agricultural information on the field scale and vertical profiles of atmospheric constituents and temperature. The lifetime of the MIN2OS project would be 4–5 years to study the interannual variability of N2O surface fluxes. The spectral noise can be decreased by at least a factor of 5 compared to the lowest noise accessible to date with the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer-New Generation (IASI-NG) mission. The N2O total error is expected to be less than ~1% (~3 ppbv) along the vertical. The preliminary design of the MIN2OS project results in a small instrument (payload of 90 kg, volume of 1200 × 600 × 300 mm3) with, in addition to the spectrometer, a wide field and 1-km resolution imager for cloud detection. The instruments could be hosted on a small platform, the whole satellite being largely compatible with a dual launch on VEGA-C. The MIN2OS project has been submitted to the European Space Agency Earth Explorer 11 mission ideas.

CubeSat formation architecture for small space debris surveillance and orbit determination

Introduction: Satellites which face space debris cannot track it throughout the whole orbit due to natural limitations of their optical sensors, sush as field of view, Earth occultation, or solar illumination. Besides, the time of continuous observations is usually very short. Therefore, we are trying to offer the most effective configuration of optical sensors in order to provide short-arc tracking of a target piece of debris, using a scalable Extended Information Filter. Purpose: The best scenario for short-arc tracking of a space debris orbit using multipoint optical sensors. Results: We have found optimal configurations for groups of satellites with optical sensors which move along a sun-synchronous orbit. Debris orbit determination using an Extended Information Filter and measurements from multipoint sensors was simulated, and mean squared errors of the target's position were calculated. Based on the simulation results for variouos configurations, inter-satellite distances and measurement time, the most reliable scenario (four satellites in tetrahedral configuration) was found and recommended for practical use in short-arc debris tracking.

Compact CubeSat Gamma-ray detector for GRID mission

Gamma-Ray Integrated Detectors (GRID) mission is a student project designed to use multiple gamma-ray detectors carried by nanosatellites (CubeSats), forming a full-time all-sky gamma-ray detection network that monitors the transient gamma-ray sky in the multi-messenger astronomy era. A compact CubeSat gamma-ray detector, including its hardware and firmware, was designed and implemented for the mission. The detector employs four Gd2Al2Ga3O12 : Ce (GAGG:Ce) scintillators coupled with four silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays to achieve a high gamma-ray detection efficiency between 10 keV and 2 MeV with low power and small dimensions. The first detector designed by the undergraduate student team onboard a commercial CubeSat was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit on October 29, 2018. The detector was in a normal observation state and accumulated data for approximately one month after on-orbit functional and performance tests, which were conducted in 2019.

On the wave-particle interaction and removal of energetic particles

There is always a risk of destruction of man-made satellites by the energetic electrons trapped in Van Allen radiation belts in space. These energetic electrons also pose a biological danger to astronauts. The cyclotron resonance interaction is studied between the whistler-mode waves in the frequency range of ELF (Extremely Low Frequency 300 – 3000 HZ) and VLF (Very Low Frequency 3 – 30 kHz) propagating along geomagnetic field line and counter streaming energetic electron. During this process the pitch angle of energetic electrons reduces. This results in the dumping of these electrons into the lower ionosphere. This makes electrons unable to strike the satellites orbiting in low Earth orbit, Geosynchronous, Sun-synchronous or polar orbit. It is shown that the lifetime values of energetic electrons vary from 2.03 to 227.68 hours at low latitudes. It is shown that these waves can remove these energetic electrons from their path and ensure the safety of satellites.

Анализ возможности повышения эффективности космической системы дистанционного зондирования Земли при модернизации в планируемый период

The paper considers the problem of complex optimization of the parameters of spacecraft and the space system for Earth remote sensing (ERS). The development (modernization) of equipment and technologies in the planned period is taken into account. The problem is formulated in a deterministic setting. The criterion for solving the task is the reduced total costs for the implementation of the ERS space system project during modernization in the planned period. When searching for a rational solution to the problem, its parametric decomposition is used. Variants of spacecraft modifications as part of the system and the program of modernization of the system are formed separately. The vector of variable parameters includes the parameters of the spacecraft modification and the system modernization program, i.e. the number of modifications of this spacecraft and the timing of their creation. The parameters of the ground segment and the base spacecraft are set. The study shows that the most rational approach to solving the problem is to construct a multi-level design research diagram in accordance with the structure of the system. A two-level design research model and a two-level coordinated optimization method are implemented, including a directed adaptation of the top-level design dependencies. The algorithm for solving the problem includes blocks for forming variants of the spacecraft modification, optimizing the modernization program, assessing the target efficiency, and determining the reduced total costs for the implementation of the system modernization program in the planning period. The possibility of increasing the efficiency of future ERS space systems is explored according to the results of solving the model problem. Using the model example, the parameters and the program of modernization of two alternative options for space systems of different altitudes located in sun-synchronous orbits are comprehensively assessed. The estimation of performance indicators of the considered variants of the systems is given. The assessment of technical and economic characteristics obtained on the basis of the model example can be used for a detailed analysis of the efficiency of future ERS space systems in order to predict their development and expand the field of application.