→Potential ESA-Roscosmos Cooperation in Education

Activities

→CONTENT

• Projects Description– European Student Moon Orbiter– Global ground station network

(GENSO)– CubeSat constellation (GEOID)

• Cooperation Possibilities

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• Mission Overview

– Launch: secondary payload (launcher TBC) into Geostationary Transfer Orbit, 2014

– Spacecraft mass: 265 kg (with propellant)

– Lunar transfer: Liquid Bipropellant Propulsion

– Mission duration: 11 months

– Lunar orbit: 280 x 16400 km, 56° inclination

• Payload

– 2.5 kg Optical camera, ~10 m/pixel (outreach)

– Radiation monitor, radar payload (science)

– Internet communications protocol experiment (tech)

– Other “guest” payload (TBC)

• Status

– System Requirements Review completed

– Preliminary design (Phase B2) started, PDR in February 2011

– Prime contractor: SSTL Ltd (UK)

– 200 students from 19 universities in 10 Member & Cooperating States are currently involved in platform, payload, ground systems development

Courtesy QinetiQ

European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO)

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• Overview

– Linking together and sharing university and amateur ground stations globally to provide near-global coverage for all participating education satellite missions

– Project endorsed by the International Space Education Board (ISEB)

– Open to all university/radio amateur ground stations (~100 expected)

• Status

– Since January 2010: Operation of limited network (<20 stations) with software release 1.0

– From April 2010: Operation of full network with software release 2.0

– Foreseen usage: ~30 or more education satellites operated by universities

– Downlink and uplink capabilities

Global Educational Network for Satellite Operations (GENSO)

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CubeSat Constellation (GEOID/HumSat)

• Introduction

– HUMSAT is an international educational initiative for building a constellation of nano-satellites providing communication capabilities to areas without infrastructure

– Initiated by Uni. Vigo (Spain), CalPoly (US), Crectealc (Mexico)

– Supported by UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, IAF, UNESCO

– 24 universities, 11 countries and 19 s/c have so far been confirmed

– GEOID will be the HUMSAT testbed that ESA intends to launch in support of the project for educational purposes

• GEOID Mission Overview

– Objective: relay of data from small mobile sensors in remote areas on ground for humanitarian purposes (e.g public health, climate)

– Global Constellation of 9 university CubeSats, approx. 1-4.5 Kg each

– Low Earth orbits, ~600 km altitude with high inclination

– GENSO ground station network used for data downloading and TTC, providing significant communications visibility of the CubeSats

– Data accessible to users at a Central Distribution Centre

• Status

– System definition activities ongoing (ESA & Uni. Vigo)

– Announcement of Opportunity under preparation for universities to join the project, to be released in summer 2010

– Release of system documentation for CubeSat developers expected by September 2010

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Cooperation Possibilities: to be further explored

• ESMO

– A Russian university could design and build a CubeSat for integration into the ESMO

spacecraft as a mission payload

– ESMO spacecraft would then carry the CubeSat to the Moon, deploy it in lunar orbit,

and provide communication relay, in exchange for a contribution to the launch cost

• GEOID

– One or more Russian universities could design and build CubeSats (or other nano-

satellites) for the constellation

– Russian launcher could then deploy the university CubeSats/nano-satellites into LEO

and Russian universities participate in joint operations of the constellation with

European universities

• GENSO

– One or more Russian universities could join the network with their ground stations &

gain access to enhanced communications coverage for their educational satellites

• Benefits:

– Significant hands-on space engineering opportunities for Russian university students

– Promotes strong cooperation between Russian and European universities in space

systems engineering

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Way forward

• The Education Office is interested in further exploring the areas for

potential cooperation with ROSCOSMOS on education:

– In agreement with the general ESA policy for cooperation with

Russia

– Through a possible joint workshop whose contents, cost sharing

and organization should be defined via further, bi-lateral

consultations

• ESA Education and Knowledge management office contact points:

– Franco Emma: Head of the Office (francesco.emma@esa.int)

– Roger Walker: Head of hands-on projects within the office (

roger.walker@esa.int)

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THANK YOU

Roger WalkerHead of Education Projects Unit

ESA Education Office

Directorate of Legal Affairs and External Relationsroger.walker@esa.int

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