Global interest in nano and microsatellites (< 100kg) is increasing. The miniaturization of electronics, together with reliability and performance increase as well as reduction of cost, have allowed the use of commercials-off-the-shelf in the space industry, fostering the Smallsat use. Many nanosatellites (<10 kg) are used for educational purposes, and …
Read More »U.S. Space Fence, Largest S-band Phased Array Radar to protect satellites from orbiting junk and space weapons, is now connected with Space Force
There has been exponential growth of space objects, including orbital debris that has increased the in-orbit collision risk. NASA estimates there are 21,000 objects orbiting Earth that are larger than 10 cm, 500,000 between 1 and 10 cm, and more than 100 million that are less than 1 cm. Orbital …
Read More »DARPA “Fiddler,” developing AI/ML based SAR imagery algorithms for automatic target detection of Ships
Remote sensing is the science of acquiring information about the Earth’s surface without actually being in contact with it. This is done by sensing and recording reflected or emitted energy and processing, analyzing, and applying that information. Unlike optical satellites that capture reflected sunlight to produce detailed photos of Earth, …
Read More »GPS III and NTS-3 Satellites will provide higher acccuracy, jam resistance, and new navigation warfare (NAVWAR) capabilities to US DOD
The Global Positioning System (GPS), is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. GPS has become ubiquitous technology that provides real-time …
Read More »Human to Machine Interface (HMI) for controlling Autonomous Killer Satellites
The US China, and Russia have also reportedly developed so-called “inspection satellites” that can maneuver close to other spacecraft in low orbits and examine them for malfunctions. The robots could fix minor maintenance issues, keeping up with current orbiters as they age and sustain damage. However, this technology is …
Read More »DARPA NOM4D for Robust on-orbit or in-Space Manufacturing by building large structures on orbit and moon
There is global space race among countries to build Moon bases, harness it’s mineral resources and helium-3, fuel for future nuclear fusion power plants. Space agencies in China, Japan, Europe, Russia, Iran , Canada and a few private companies all hope to send people to the moon by as early …
Read More »Material technologies for harsh space environment in Moon, and Mars missions
There is global space race among countries to build Moon bases, harness it’s mineral resources and helium-3, fuel for future nuclear fusion power plants. Space agencies in US, China, Japan, Europe, Russia, Iran , Canada and a few private companies all hope to send people to the moon by as …
Read More »Earth stations on moving platforms (ESOMPs)
Satellite communication systems consist of two main segments, the space segment and the earth or ground station. The ground station system coordinates the communication process with satellites in space. A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunications signals via a transponder; it creates a communication …
Read More »Aircrafts and Rockets for global military logistics, space travel, asteroids and moon mining
Multiple countries are developing the ability to mine in space, specifically on the moon and on asteroids. The moon stands out as a nearby example of what will soon be the site of regular operations. The moon is home to hundreds of billions of dollars-worth of natural resources, including helium-3, …
Read More »Satellite On-board connectivity through beam switching and scanning
High-throughput Satellite or HTS systems represent a new generation of satellite communications systems, that provide a significant increase in capacity than conventional communication satellites. They utilize frequency reuse and multiple spot beams to deliver vast throughput for the same amount of allocated orbital spectrum. The increase in capacity typically ranges from 2 …
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