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1) Space Systems
Active, Crew Space System - International Space Station (ISS)
Destination or orbit
Science goals, requirements
and/or specs
LEO
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Types of payload or sensors
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Research
(astrobiology/astronomy/meteorology/etc),
especially experimentation in zero gravity
Simplified individual experiments through group
launches
Testing of technology for future exploration
missions
Life support
Art (Sojourner 2020)
research/experiment equipment
Astronomy observation equipment
Meteorological equipment
Communication and navigation
Educational outreach for earthling students’
learning opportunities
Heritage technology
The Russian Soyuz spacecraft for crew transportation
which has been used since the 1960s
Mission timeline/duration or
concept of ops.
The ISS plans were announced in 1993, and has been
operating since 2000. The decommissioning date is
uncertain.
Spacecraft description:
a. Mass
b. Cost
c. Electrical power source
d. Propulsion system(s)
925,335 lbs
Construction estimated at $100-150B, annual operation
cost estimated at $3-4B (USD)
Solar and battery arrays
None, but reboost procedures are done by several other
spacecraft and the Zvezda Service Module has thrusters
Launch Vehicle
The Russian Proton rocket brought the first component, but
many other spacecraft have serviced it over its lifetime.
The four cargo spacecraft that survive it now are Northrop
Grumman’s Cygnus, SpaceX’s Dragon, JAXA’s HTV, and
the Russian Progress
Developers/contractor/sponsori
ng organization
The primary contributors are
● NASA
● Roscosmos
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Other relevant/interesting
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ESA
JAXA
CSA
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Eight miles of wire connects the electrical power
system aboard the space station
Crew members come from 15 countries
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the ISS
works on detecting dark matter
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Sources
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https://news.mit.edu/2020/five-mit-payloads-deploy
ed-international-space-station-0325
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/facts-and-figures
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structu
re/elements/zvezda-service-module.html
https://home.cern/science/experiments/ams#:~:text
=The%20Alpha%20Magnetic%20Spectrometer%20
(AMS,precision%20measurements%20of%20cosmi
c%20rays.
Deactivated, Science Mission Space System - Galileo Spacecraft
Destination or orbit
Jupiter
Science goals, requirements
and/or specs
Study Jupiter and four of its largest moons (Europa,
Callisto, Ganymede, and Io)
Types of payload or sensors
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Descent probe
Dust Detector Subsystem (DDS)
Energetic Particles Detector (EPD)
Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EUV)
Heavy Ion Counter (HIC)
Magnetometer (MAG)
Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS)
Plasma Subsystem (PLS)
Photopolarimeter-Radiometer (PPR)
Plasma Wave Subsystem
Radio Science
Solid-State Imaging (SSI)
Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS)
Heritage technology
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs)
Mission timeline/duration or
concept of ops.
1989 - 2003
Spacecraft description:
e. Mass
5648 lbs
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f. Cost
g. Electrical power source
h. Propulsion system(s)
$1.39B
Radioisotope thermoelectric generators
13 thrusters using monomethylhydrazine fuel and
nitrogen-tetroxide oxidizer
Launch Vehicle
Atlantis orbiter, then inertial upper stage rocket
Developers/contractor/sponsori
ng organization
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NASA
Hughes Space and Communications Company
US Department of Energy
ESA
Martin Marietta Corporation
Other relevant/interesting
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It was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet
It sent a probe into Jupitor’s atmosphere to collect
samples and readings
Sources
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https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/galileo/overvi
ew/
https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/instruments/
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/galileo.html#:
~:text=The%20Galileo%20mission%20consists%20
of,through%20the%20inner%20solar%20system.
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Military Space System - Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS)
Destination or orbit
GEO and HEO
Science goals, requirements
and/or specs
A constellation of satellites used to detect missile launches
for national security and defense purposes
Types of payload or sensors
Infrared sensors: scanning and step-staring
Heritage technology
The rockets used to launch the satellites were well tested
and reliable (such as Delta II, Atlas V, and Titan IV)
Mission timeline/duration or
concept of ops.
GEO-1 launched in 2007, 2022 final GEO-6 satellite
launched, now continuously operating
Spacecraft description:
i. Mass
j. Cost
k. Electrical power source
l. Propulsion system(s)
5525 lbs
$20.3B
Solar arrays
LEROS-1c engine
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Launch Vehicle
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Atlas V
Delta II, IV
Titan IV, IVB
Falcon 9
Athena Ic
Developers/contractor/sponsori
ng organization
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Lockheed Martin
United States Space Force
Department of Defense
Raytheon
United Launch Alliance
SpaceX
Northrop Grumman
Other relevant/interesting
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The initial design was to also incorporate satellites
in LEO but that scope was transferred into the
Missile Defense Agency
Sources
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https://www.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/A
rticle/2197746/space-based-infrared-system/
https://missiledefenseadvocacy.org/defense-system
s/sbirs-geo-1/#:~:text=The%20Space%2DBased%2
0Infrared%20System,technical%20intelligence%2C
%20and%20battlespace%20awareness.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-105249.pdf
https://missilethreat.csis.org/defsys/sbirs/#easy-foot
note-bottom-2-376
https://spaceflight101.com/spacecraft/sbirs/
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Non-US - Sputnik 2
Destination or orbit
LEO
Science goals, requirements
and/or specs
Observe a live animal in space, collect radiation data
Types of payload or sensors
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Laika the dog
Radio transmitters
Telemetry system
Biometric instruments
UV and X-Ray detection equipment
Heritage technology
It used the same biological container that was designed for
the R-2A sounding rocket program
Mission timeline/duration or
concept of ops.
Launched November 1957, orbited for 6 days
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Spacecraft description:
m. Mass
n. Cost
o. Electrical power source
p. Propulsion system(s)
1119 lbs
15M Russian Rubles
Battery array
None after burnout
Launch Vehicle
Sapwood SS-6 8K71PS launch vehicle
Developers/contractor/sponsori
ng organization
USSR
Other relevant/interesting
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Sources
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Signs showed that Laika likely did not survive past
the first day due to overheating :(
It was the first spacecraft with a crew
10 dogs were considered for the mission
https://www.russianspaceweb.com/sputnik2.html
http://www.astronautix.com/s/sputnik2.html
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/sputnik-2.htm
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.
action?id=1957-002A
Commercial Space System - Starlink
Destination or orbit
LEO
Science goals, requirements
and/or specs
Provide internet access to previously inaccessible locations
across the globe
Types of payload or sensors
Super high frequency [SHF] to extremely high frequency
[EHF] signal processing technologies, optical inter-satellite
links
Heritage technology
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Navigation from SpaceX’s Dragon
Hall-effect ion thrusters
Solar arrays for electrical power source
Mission timeline/duration or
concept of ops.
The first satellites were launched in 2016 and as of August
2023 over 4000 satellites are in LEO with approval from
the FCC to implement nearly 12000 in the future.
Spacecraft description:
q. Mass
r. Cost
s. Electrical power source
t. Propulsion system(s)
2760lbs (Most recent v2.0)
Est. $10B
Solar Array
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Hall-effect ion thrusters
Launch Vehicle
Falcon 9
Developers/contractor/sponsori
ng organization
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SpaceX
T-Mobile
KDDI (Japanese service provider)
Telestra (Australian service provider)
Royal Caribbean
Hawaiian Airlines
US National Defense Space Architecture
Other relevant/interesting
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Internet speeds for US customers range from
150-500 Mbits/s
It costs $2500 for the antenna and $500/month for
service
Ukraine requested the use of Starlink in 2022 due
to the reduced infrastructure after the Russian
invasion
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Sources
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https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/05/block-5-s
pacex-increase-launch-cadence-lower-prices/
https://planet4589.org/space/con/star/stats.html
https://spacenews.com/spacex-submits-paperworkfor-30000-more-starlink-satellites/
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites.ht
ml
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Planned Space System - Peregrine Mission 1
Destination or orbit
The Moon (our moon)
Science goals, requirements
and/or specs
Carry payloads to the moon to study the lunar exosphere,
thermal properties, gaseous composition, magnetic fields,
and radiation levels
Types of payload or sensors
Heritage technology
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Laser Retro-Reflector Array (LRA)
Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS)
Near-Infrared Volatile Spectrometer System
(NIRVSS)
PROSPECT Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS)
Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS)
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Power generation with solar cell array
Uses RS422 serial data transfer
Mission timeline/duration or
concept of ops.
Scheduled launch for 2024
Spacecraft description:
u. Mass
v. Cost
w. Electrical power source
x. Propulsion system(s)
1700 lbs
Awarded $79.5M
Solar Arrays
Five ISE-100 667-N thrusters
Launch Vehicle
United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur VC2S rocket
Developers/contractor/sponsori
ng organization
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Astrobotic technology
Vulcan
NASA
Other relevant/interesting
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The payload capacity is about 90kg each
There were 5 additional scientific payloads initially
planned to be put on the lander but were
rescheduled to future missions to the moon surface
Sources
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https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.
action?id=PEREGRN-1
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/peregrine.htm
https://www.astrobotic.com/lunar-delivery/landers/p
eregrine-lander/
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/2425
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2) Planned Spacecraft Details
i) What development phase is the system currently in?
It is in Phase C/D. The launch was planned for 5/4/23 but has since been postponed to an
unknown future date. The SC is undergoing late stage design.
ii) What subsystem has the lowest TRL, what is that TRL?
Details are still somewhat unclear regarding the current design, but the lowest TRL subsystem
is likely the launch vehicle as the reason for rescheduling the launch date was due to
“anomalies found in tests of the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle" (NASA). It is likely in TRL 5 Component validation in relevant environments such as simulated launch conditions.
iii) What, if any, limitations are the system facing? Technological? Physical?
Financial?
Technological - see above issues with the Vulcan launch vehicle.
iv) If that subsystem design is a failure, how might it be redesigned? How would
that change impact the rest of the space system?
It would be redesigned with a more reliable upper stage as that was the failure point in testing. It
would not impact the spacecraft itself but it would have allowed the launch to go on as
scheduled last May.
3) Create your own mission
NASA wants you to help them define future space missions. Describe the details of a space
mission/spacecraft (of your own creation) that can achieve a meaningful objective. Your
description should include:
i) Destination or orbit
My mission would attempt to send a probe to the asteroid 2023 SW6, which comes within
834,000 miles of Earth on 9/28/2023.
ii) Goals. Is this a scientific, military, or commercial mission?
This would be a scientific and commercial mission. It would be to both ascertain the composition
of the asteroid as well as collect valuable samples of precious or semi-precious metals that may
be found in the asteroid to assess the viability of asteroid mining.
iii) The required payload or payload options
The payload (probe) would require a mass spectrometer to assess the composition of elements,
telemetry equipment to send information back to earth, and materials transport containment for
extracted samples.
iv) Equipment necessary to succeed
Launch vehicle capable of exiting the atmosphere, thrusters accurate and fast enough to land
on the asteroid (which is only the size of a house) and return the SC to earth before it gets too
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far from earth, orientation mechanism to maintain correct direction when landing, and robotics
capable of extracting materials.
v) Limitations and challenges that this space system could face
The asteroid is very small, which dictates the size of the SC as well as the required accuracy of
its landing sequence. The asteroid is also only in proximity to the earth for a few days before it
starts to become significantly more difficult to retrieve the SC. The justification for the mission
may also be controversial as there is no guarantee of valuable materials on the asteroid.
vi) What developers and contractors could be associated with this project?
Any of the major launch vehicle corporations like SpaceX, Vulcan, or Lockheed Martin, NASA,
any large mining company like BHP.
vii) What past/existent/planned systems could this new mission consider for
heritage?
Using a known launch vehicle would improve reliability. NASA also just retrieved the samples it
took from the Bennu asteroid so it could use the same spacecraft and sample collection
container and vacuum hose design since they worked on the Osiris-Rex’s mission.