CASSIOPE: A Canadian SmallSAT-Based Space Science and Advanced Satcom Demonstration Mission Greg Giffin and Waqar-Un-Nissa (Vicky) Ressl Of MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd. Andrew Yau and Peter King Of The University of Calgary Department of Physics and Astronomy
The CASSIOPE Triad CASSIOPE: CASCADE Demonstrator, Smallsat & Ionospheric Polar Explorer e-pop: Study plasma and atmospheric neutral outflows in the topside polar ionosphere, and the wave generation and wave-particle interaction processes associated with these outflows. Small-Sat Bus: Design and build a generic small-sat bus that can address the needs of future Canadian Small-sat Missions Cascade Demonstrator: A very high bandwidth store and forward single point to single point payload demonstrating all the technology of the CASCADE system
e-pop: Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe Canada s first space environment satellite Polar orbiter explores transition region between atmosphere & magnetosphere: plasma outflow and waves Meso-scale polar plasma outflow Micro-scale wave particle interaction neutral atmospheric escape Non-thermal atmospheric escape radio wave propagation GPS occultation and 3D ionospheric irregularities
e-pop Instruments and Measurements Name Instrument PI Measurement RRI IRM NMS FAI GAP MGF SEI CER Instrument payload much more than sum of its parts Operate specific subsets of instruments for specific science objectives in specific orbits Limit impact (loss) on science by single-instrument failure IRM SEI NMS Imaging and rapid-scanning mass spectrometer Suprathermal electron imager Neutral mass and velocity spectrometer Calgary Amerl Calgary Knudsen JAXA/ISAS Hayakawa FAI Fast auroral imager Calgary Murphree RRI Radio receiver instrument CRC James MGF Magnetic field instrument Mag trics Wallis GAP CER GPS attitude, position, and profiling experiment Coherent EM radiation tomography experiment UNB Langley NRL Bernhardt 0.5-70 ev ions 1-200 ev electrons 0.1-2 km/s neutrals 630 nm, NIR HF, VLF E(ω), k(ω), B j // L1, L2 Irregularity VHF Irregularity
What is Cascade? GigaPackage Express TM Global Digital Courier Service: Pickup and delivery of huge data packages - 50-500 Gbytes/day Truly global pickup and delivery services, including oceans Compact, turnkey, user equipment connected to user network Package delivered typically within a day Small niche market, headed by Military and Seismic
High Level Cascade Concept Will use economical but high capability LEO smallsats (~300 kg) System is kept simple due to nonrealtime nature and niche market focus Operating rates of 1.4 Gbps and with 6+ Tbits of storage 4 x 350 Mbps channels in 500 MHz of Ka-band Total bandwidth is applied to one user for small periods of time Small terminals designed for easy integration into customer s terrestrial infrastructure Build and deploy satellites and terminals only as proven demand warrants Operates similar to an EO system while following a GEO satcom type business approach
The Cascade Demonstration on Cassiope With currently available technology the business plan cost targets can not be met The Cascade demonstration mission has two main objectives: Develop and demonstrate the key Cascade technologies Demonstrate that the end-to-end system concept is feasible The key enabling Cascade technologies are: 350 Mbps digital modulator 350 Mbps digital demodulator High capacity, low cost, volume, mass and power data storage Once developed, these will allow a smallsat based system to be feasible
Current CASSIOPE Spacecraft Is the Combo Possible? OAP/Peak Power (W) epop Orbit CX orbit Total S/C Power (W) 170 / 357.6 158.1 / 590.4 epop Instruments CX horn antenna Mass Bus epop Payload CX Payload Total S/C Mass 240 kg 60 kg 87 kg 387 kg nadir epop Instruments Other Characteristics: - 300 x 1500 km orbit - 2 year lifetime - 3 axis zero momentum - 1.6 Mbps TTC D/L, 125 kbps uplink CASSIOPE is getting to be a relatively large Smallsat!
Cascade CX / e-pop Synergies The temptation to connect the two so that e-pop could take advantage of the Cascade Demonstrator storage and downlink capability proved too great to resist! This was a minor cost increase compared to the significant enhancement of the science return Now e-pop will have access to the 1+ Tbit Cascade CX storage and 2 x 350 Mbps channel downlink capability With the one Cascade demo ground terminal this allows for Typically 15 Gbytes/day of science data downlink >10X increase in overall science throughput The benefit to Cascade is that we get to claim our first customer Note that e-pop will still be designed to operate with the originally conceived 1 Mbit/sec class S-band capability since the Cascade Demo is highly developmental in nature
Where Are We Now? Project start was in December 2003 Mission System Requirements Review completed in May Mission PDR planned for Late September Lower level PDRs underway, one completed We have hardware! 2 x OTS TWTs procured, saving cost and avoiding potential schedule driver Launch planned for early 2007 Proton testing of Cascade data storage unit flash drives at TRIUMF
Conclusion CASSIOPE is a combination of two distinct payloads onto the first multipurpose Canadian small satellite Will carry e-pop and CASCADE Demonstrator payloads e-pop will study space weather 3 inter-related science objectives addressed by 8 instruments Unprecedented-resolution plasma/wave measurements CASCADE is tech demo payload GigaPackage (CASCADE) technology and end-to-end data transfer Success will enable the commercial Cascade system Substantial synergy between e-pop and CASCADE Cascade data storage and downlink enhances (>10X) e-pop science throughput e-pop as first test-user for CASCADE end-to-end data transfer
Thank-you!
Misc Back-Up Slides
Spacecraft Concept 1.8 m dia CX payload panel 1 m CX horn antenna Bus panel epop instrument mounting panel
What is e-pop? Mission to study plasma outflow and wave propagation Canada s first mission contribution to International Living With a Star (ILWS) Three inter-related components: Science Payload, Ground Observation, Data Assimilation/Modeling Companion e-pop and CASCADE payloads on CASSIOPE e-pop: 8 in-situ and imaging plasma instruments CASCADE: Large (terabit) data storage, fast (>300Mbps) downlink
Connections to ILWS Concerted approach of ILWS needed to understand multi-scale processes in Sun-Earth system e-pop is one element of such approach in I-T study Geospace transitions from dense atmosphere below F-region ( 300 km) to tenuous plasma at parallel acceleration region ( 1 R E ) via multi-scale coupling e-pop provides unique opportunity to study smallest-spatial and fastest-time scale processes in I-T system
e-pop: Science Questions Detailed dynamical characteristics of polar wind; Role of escaping atmospheric photoelectrons Exosphere neutral outflows: Role of polar wind, charge exchange, and other acceleration processes Micro-scale ion heating/energization characteristics: Connections between aurora, ion energization and upflow Wave particle interaction associated with ion energization: detailed wave propagation characteristics Plasma instabilities: creation of F-region density structure, growth and saturation of instabilities, constraints on flow