GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Small Satellite
Opportunities at
Wallops Flight Facility
Dr. John Campbell
Director, Wallops Flight Facility
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
The Small Satellite Paradox
Small satellites are not funded
(nor built) because of a lack of
affordable launch opportunities
and
Affordable small satellite launch
capabilities have been slow to
emerge due to a limited market
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Small Satellite Launch Enablers
1. Low-cost small launch vehicles
2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges
3. Ride sharing
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Low-Cost Launch Vehicles
• Get-Away Special & Hitchhiker once served as the
premier means for orbiting small satellites
• New small ELVs are moving to fill the void
– Minotaur I, IV, & V
– SpaceX Falcon 1
– Etc.
• Essential characteristics of new vehicles
–
–
–
–
Simple pad infrastructure
Short time from arrival at range to launch
Much lower cost per pound than current vehicles
Streamlined range support requirements (e.g., data
services, personnel accommodations)
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Small Launch Vehicle Options
Conducted from Wallops
Trans-Lunar
LEO Mass Injection Mass
Launch Vehicle kg (est.)
kg (est.)
Existing Options
Pegasus
420
N/A
Taurus 3110/3113
1530
350
Minotaur 1
580
N/A
Near-Term Options
Minotaur 4/5
1680
490
Falcon 1
620
100
Falcon 9
~9000
~2000
Price ROM
~$30M
~$40M
~$20M
~$30M
~$10M
~$30M
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Small Satellites to the Moon
GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
• Small ELVs (e.g., Minotaur V) launched from Wallops can
transport 350-500 kg (payload is ~50%) to the Moon
• Can provide low-cost options for Science and
Exploration needs
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–
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Remote sensing orbiters
Impacters
Small landers
Communication & navigation orbiters
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Small Satellite Launch Enablers
1. Low-cost small launch vehicles
2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges
3. Ride sharing
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Launch Site on Wallops Island
GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
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Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS)
GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
• MARS owns 2 launch complexes at Wallops
• Used for Wallops small-to-medium class ELV
missions
• MARS is a VA & MD sponsored partnership with
NASA chartered to pursue commercial aerospace
opportunities at Wallops
• Current agreements enable efficient work with
Wallops, using multiple business models:
• NASA support of MARS commercial launches
• MARS support of NASA’s government launches
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Wallops Operating Areas
• Wallops operational areas offer nearly
unlimited mission capabilities
– Restricted NASA-controlled airspace
encompasses Launch Range &
Research Airport
– NASA airspace provides direct access
to Atlantic Ocean for hazardous
mission operations
• Wallops location & geography
provides the most efficient access to
desirable mid-inclination orbits of 3860 degrees
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Low-Cost Responsive Range Operations
• Wallops Launch Range is “rightsized” for small spacecraft missions
– Small spacecraft missions not competing
against large ELVs or Shuttle
– Staff & facilities sized for small orbital
missions
• Wallops has a history & reputation
for supporting emerging, low-cost
launch vehicles
– Schedule flexibility allows for
development mission complications
– Safety & project support culture of
assisting projects during development
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Spacecraft
Plus
Upper Stage
Arrival ~L-30 days
Launch Site Integration Flow
Pad
~L-14 days
Range Control Center
Launch!
Lower Stages
Arrival ~L-30 days
Blockhouse 3
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Minotaur I Launch @ Wallops
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Small Satellite Launch Enablers
1. Low-cost small launch vehicles
2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges
3. Ride sharing
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Ridesharing
• Small ELVs are still larger than necessary for many
small satellites
• Multi-manifesting of small ELVs is critical to ensuring
that “Micro-Explorer” spacecraft (50-200 lbs.) mature as
a viable class of spacecraft
• Wallops has developed the Multi-Payload Ejector as a
key enabler to exploit small ELVs for spacecraft smaller
than 1000 lbs.
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Multi-Payload Ejector
GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
•
MPE able to carry >800 lbs. of individual spacecraft
– 1 primary (up to 200 lbs.)
– 6 secondaries (up to 100 lbs. each)
– 12 CubeSat tertiaries (up to 3 lbs. each)
•
Flexible
– Configurable for any launch vehicle, as primary for smaller
ELV & secondary for larger ELVs
– Can be flown as 1, 2, or 3 segments allowing trade-offs on
individual spacecraft masses/volume & orbital altitude
•
Low-cost & simple
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–
–
–
–
•
Completes payload deployments within ½ orbit
Motorized spring deployments (no pyrotechnics)
Sounding rocket qualified timers
Single input from launch vehicle initiates all MPE events
Launch vehicle provides only necessary guidance/control
Rapid Integration
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MPE Integration Flow
GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Spacecraft I&T
MPE Integration
Vehicle Integration & Test
.
.
.
Spacecraft (S/C)
Development
& Test
S/C Arrival
@ Wallops
S/C Receiving
& Inspection
T-4
weeks
S/C Integration
with MPE
T-3
weeks
MPE
Integration
with ELV
T-2
weeks
T-1
week
Launch
Day
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
MPE Simulation
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Small Satellite Launch Costs by the Pound
Not by the vehicle
• Component Costs, w/o Spacecraft (Wallops Launch):
– MPE (NASA):
– I&T (NASA):
– Range Services (NASA):
– Launch Vehicle
TOTAL:
$1.5M
$300K
$1.5M
$16M
(assumes Minotaur I)
$19.3M
• Payload Capacity (MPE 3-stack configuration)
– MPE Structure:
– 1 primary spacecraft:
– 6 secondary spacecraft (100 lbs. each):
– 12 Cubesats (3 lbs. each)
Total Spacecraft mass for 19 spacecraft
~300 lbs.
200 lbs.
600 lbs.
36 lbs.
836 lbs
• Cost per payload mass
– Minotaur I:
– Falcon I:
$23K/payload lb.
$13.5K/payload lb.
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GSFC/Wallops
Flight Facility
Small Satellite Launch Enablers
1. Low-cost small launch vehicles
2. Inexpensive & responsive launch ranges
3. Ride sharing
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