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Bigelow Aerospace Genesis
Testing Expandable Spacecraft
           in LEO




               Tom Londrigan
        Mission Operations Manager
             Bigelow Aerospace


                                     Used with Permission
Bigelow Aerospace Company Overview

Bigelow Aerospace is a privately owned company dedicated to
    developing low-cost, next-generation crewed space
    complexes.

Facilities and personnel
   –   Currently 95 personnel
       β€’   Seeking qualified engineers

   –   Main facility in North Las Vegas
       β€’   500,000 Square foot assembly facility
       β€’   Fabrication capabilities for all modules
       β€’   Mission Control facility
       β€’   Ground communication assets
       β€’   Radiation exposure facility (LDRS) onsite

   –   Office in Washington D.C.

                                                              2
Genesis

The Genesis program utilizes space vehicles in Low Earth Orbit
  with the objective of testing and validating the technologies
  necessary for the deployment of expandable space habitats




                                                                  3
Genesis

The Genesis program consists of two small scale prototype
  spacecraft, currently in orbit

  Genesis 1 – Launched July 12, 2006

  Genesis 2 – Launched June 28, 2007




                                                            4
Mission Profile

Orbital Parameters 583x556 km, 64.5 deg inclination
   –   Nominal 10 year mission orbital decay

Nominal Aft earth facing orientation
   –   Gravity gradient fallacy – more on this later

Insertion on Dnepr Launch Vehicle
   –   Silo launched
   –   SS-18 ICBM Modified for small satellite insertion
   –   Final Spacecraft integration occurred at Dombarovsky facility

Genesis launched inert, Auto activation on separation

No re-boost capability

                                                                       5
Mission Objectives

Primary Objective
   –   Demonstrate Inflation and Deployment in LEO

Secondary Objectives
   –   Develop core competency to build, launch and operate satellites and
       space complexes
   –   Proof of concept for folding, restraint, and core structure
   –   Evaluate the Durability of soft goods
   –   Long term Effectiveness of the MMOD shield

Tertiary (Mission Creep) Objectives
   –   Revenue and interest-generating payloads
   –   Evaluate the performance of various off-the-shelf (literally) electronic
       components
   –   Obtain long term evaluation of power systems
   –   Evaluate radiation environment
                                                                                  6
Genesis Spacecraft description

    Internal core structure, surrounded by inflated volume
–     Battery and payloads in interior of spacecraft
–     Some avionics contained on exterior of the core structure
–     Launch adapter on aft end




                                                                  7
Genesis Spacecraft description

MMOD shield description
   – Multi-layer insulation with interstitial foam to provide loft

   – Restraint layer – load bearing

   – Air Barrier

   – Folded in launch configuration, restrained with straps


Deployment systems
   – Retention straps released using pyro cutters
       β€’ Contingency - Retention straps sized to fail/release due to expansion
         forces
   – Solar array deployment

   – All deployment and inflation controlled by onboard flight computer

                                                                                 8
Genesis Payloads

Genebox - Genesis 1
   –   Small payload from Ames

   –   Objective was to test
       sensors and optical
       systems for GeneSat


Radiation Monitors
   –   Dose Depth Monitors
       β€’   RadFETs to measure
           cumulative energy
           deposition

   –   Proton Monitors
       β€’   Single Event Upset
           measurement

                                             9
Genesis Payloads

Logos
   – some demonstration,
     some paying customers




β€œFly-Your-Stuff” program
   – Small objects and cards

   – Allow private individuals to
     fly small objects in space
     verified by downlinked
     photos

   – Approximately 80
     customers

                                             10
Genesis Systems

Inflation
   –    Genesis 1 : Single tank, redundant solenoid valves
   –    Genesis 2 : 4 tanks, 1 solenoid valve each

Power
   –    8 Solar array β€œwings”, single battery with redundant charge
        regulators
   –    Solar array capacity was intentionally over-designed, with partial
        capability available even in deployment failure.
   –    Solar arrays were designed to be tolerant of solar incident angle

Communications
   –    Redundant omni-directional antennae on each end of spacecraft
   –    UHF/VHF for duplex command and telemetry
   –    S-band for photo downlink


                                                                             11
Genesis Systems


Telemetry
   – Genesis 1 – 1172 data parameters

   – Genesis 2 – 1830 data parameters

   – All data is recorded onboard the spacecraft and downloaded as
     encrypted files during passes over ground sites

   – Data sampling rate can be scaled up and down as necessary to
     prevent build up of data

   – Real time data points can be obtained by direct query while in
     communication coverage

   – Data is collected and archived at the Las Vegas site



                                                                      12
Genesis Systems


Cameras
   –   Genesis 1: 18 cameras for internal
       and external evaluation of softgoods,
       some oriented on payloads

   –   Genesis 2 : 22 cameras for internal
       and external evaluation of softgoods
       β€’   Mounted on solar arrays (4) for
           observing softgoods and capturing
           projector images
       β€’   Interior Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras
           operable from ground
       β€’   Wireless deployable camera on
           exterior of MMOD shielding
       β€’   Some oriented on internal payloads
       β€’   Fisheye and Narrow field of view
           mounted on ends



                                                13
Genesis Cameras

Aft mounted cameras provided earth observations – minimum
   resolvable distance 0.25 miles




                                                            14
Genesis Systems

Projectors
   – Off the shelf from the local electronics store, modified only enough to
     allow remote commanding and mounting

   – Placed on aft and forward solar array ends to project images onto
     exterior




                                                                               15
Attitude Control Systems

Mission Design provided very forgiving pointing requirements
   – Nadir aft orientation and rotation about long axis provided a benign
     thermal environment – β€˜rotisserie’ effect

   – RF link margin and antenna radiating patterns allowed for comm.
     from almost all angles

Hardware
   – Magnetometers
       β€’   2 mounted in forward end

   – Sun Sensors
       β€’   4 on forward structure

   – Magnetic torque rods
       β€’   2 mounted in X (longitudinal) axis
       β€’   One each mounted in Y, Z axes

                                                                            16
Ground Station Network

Description of Ground communications architecture
   –   For Genesis 1 launch, VA and NV ground stations only
   –   UHF, VHF uplink capability
   –   6-meter S-band dish
   –   Some leased sites, however all assets are the property of Bigelow
       Aerospace




                                                                           17
Ground Stations

Setup and commissioning of new ground stations
   –   For Genesis 2 launch added AK, HI sites
   –   Shifted VA ground station to Maine and added S-band dish




                                                                  18
Future Ground sites

Additional Ground sites are planned to increase coverage on
    future missions




                                                              19
De-Orbit


De-orbit Analysis

   – Current orbital lifetime is estimated to be 12 years
       β€’ We are examining the drag models and refining estimates on a monthly
         basis


   – Object Reentry Satellite Analysis Tool (ORSAT) de-orbit analysis from
     April 2004
       β€’ Parent body and Fragmentation analysis

       β€’ All structural components predicted to demise upon re-entry




                                                                                20
Spacecraft Construction and Testing

Spacecraft assembly occurred at Nevada facility, followed by shipment to
      Russia.
Final checkout at launch base, then turned over to Kosmotras for integration
      onto the space head module
    –   ITAR at the time necessitated stringent restrictions for launch base ops and
        plans for recovery of possible launch failure.
Applying design updates in an accelerated design cycle between Genesis 1
     and 2
    –   Integration begun less than six months after launch of Genesis 1 - 6 months
        before scheduled ship date
Limitations of Facilities and equipment on testing
    –   Most equipment bench tested but bare bones approach prevents a large
        amount of testing systems for end to end testing
    –   Difficulties in fully testing ACS sensors, radio systems in flight configuration
Risk tradeoffs/ Risk acceptance
    –   Ultimately for Genesis 1 and 2, there was just one paying internal customer,
        who was willing to evaluate and accept risks

                                                                                           21
Overview of Genesis 1 and 2 operations


Creating Mission Operations from scratch – all prior efforts had
    been on building the spacecraft

   –       Creating plans – as basic as establishing chain of command for
           decision making

   –       Establishing procedures where there are none
       β€’      flight rules – discuss prior to eliminate real-time debate, Etc.




                                                                                 22
Genesis Operations

First contact – planning for contingences on an experimental
   spacecraft
   – Minimal ground assets in place, spacecraft tumbling which
     complicated contact
        β€’ Effectively, contact time was 2-3 minutes
   –   Needed to perform quick health and status evaluations
   –   Downlink photos to satisfy THE customer
   –   Verify all functions of automated sequence
   –   Nominal tipoff rate of insertion was <2 RPM – we got better than this
       but ACS system was not fully operational – no stability for the first
       week

Follow-on operations
   – We are holding pressure – pictures are pretty, now what?
   – Examining the inflation sequence and increasing pressure
   – Downloading complete data sets, all photo documentation
                                                                               23
Results

Both Spacecraft have performed flawlessly on primary objective
   – inflation and deployment

Power Consumption
   – battery performance was within design tolerances
   – No appreciable solar array degradation in capacity

Inflation results – stable pressure with no leakage

Thermal – Genesis provided data and analysis of the soft goods
   performance in an orbital environment

Communications – this mission provided spaceflight heritage for
  radios which are planned to fly on future missions


                                                                 24
Lessons Learned from Genesis 1

In God we trust, all others bring data – rapid build process had
    not captured test data
   –   If it is not documented, it did not happen

ACS – not all disturbance torques were captured in first analysis
   –   Rapid integration of the algorithm resulted in constant on of torquers
       β€’   ACS system had to be reconfigured on orbit
   –   Initial β€˜gravity gradient’ fallacy – other disturbance torques proved
       dominant

Identified need for baseline testing and documentation –
    compressed schedule did not allow for validation of as built
    configuration
Thermal sensors were few, and sensor placement needed
    better documentation

                                                                                25
Applications to Genesis 2

Implemented test plans

Established Pre-ship review process

Increased thermal sensors and thoroughly documented
   placement on spacecraft
   – Placed thermal sensors within the MMOD shielding

   – Modeled the sensor placement with CAD programs

Documented all test data for comparison
  on orbit
   – Mission Operator input was used to create new formats and
     cataloguing of data


                                                                 26
Genesis 2 Initial Ops


What we improved

Operations
   –   Established and validated procedures on Genesis 1

   –   Validated all Genesis 2 procedure delta’s during testing

   –   Better communication plans

   –   Baseline testing allowed better system performance evaluation

   –   ACS system algorithms debugged
       β€’   Checklist for activation rather than turning it on

       β€’   When we turned the ACS system on, communications stabilized within
           48 hours


                                                                                27
Lesson Learned from Genesis 2

Mission Data Analysis – empirical data for LEO
   –   Thermal Data

   –   Radiation Data

   –   Drag Analysis – performing model comparisons, essential for future
       vehicles
       β€’   Continuing ongoing analysis shows some unexpected data not fully
           modeled
           –   Example: eccentricity of orbit fluctuating – counter-intuitive to the drag
               model

       β€’   Long term effort using Two Line Element and tracking data to evaluate
           orbital lifetime


Identified the need for a high fidelity ground analog vehicle for
    testing
                                                                                            28
Obstacles to Overcome

Limitations on ground station access – all operations become
   time critical
ITAR restrictions
Minimizing expenditure on ground infrastructure while using
   only proprietary assets
Genesis systems were simple but most lessons learned were
  procedural – problems will be prevented
Maintain highly creative, innovative atmosphere while creating
  more rigorous processes
No acceptance criteria (at first)
Overcome β€˜Not invented here’ mentality

                                                                 29
Applications to future spacecraft

Future vehicles
   –   Sundancer
       β€’   Crewed module

       β€’   Engineering proof of concept

       β€’   Approximately 180 m3

   –   BA Standard
       β€’   Full size module ~300 m3
       β€’   Capable of 3 crew


   –   Propulsion Bus
       β€’   Attached node for complex assembly

       β€’   Reboost and resupply capability



                                                    30
Questions?

Tom Londrigan
702-639-4440

tlondrigan@bigelowaerospace.com

www.bigelowaerospace.com




                                   31

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Thomas.londrigan

  • 1. Bigelow Aerospace Genesis Testing Expandable Spacecraft in LEO Tom Londrigan Mission Operations Manager Bigelow Aerospace Used with Permission
  • 2. Bigelow Aerospace Company Overview Bigelow Aerospace is a privately owned company dedicated to developing low-cost, next-generation crewed space complexes. Facilities and personnel – Currently 95 personnel β€’ Seeking qualified engineers – Main facility in North Las Vegas β€’ 500,000 Square foot assembly facility β€’ Fabrication capabilities for all modules β€’ Mission Control facility β€’ Ground communication assets β€’ Radiation exposure facility (LDRS) onsite – Office in Washington D.C. 2
  • 3. Genesis The Genesis program utilizes space vehicles in Low Earth Orbit with the objective of testing and validating the technologies necessary for the deployment of expandable space habitats 3
  • 4. Genesis The Genesis program consists of two small scale prototype spacecraft, currently in orbit Genesis 1 – Launched July 12, 2006 Genesis 2 – Launched June 28, 2007 4
  • 5. Mission Profile Orbital Parameters 583x556 km, 64.5 deg inclination – Nominal 10 year mission orbital decay Nominal Aft earth facing orientation – Gravity gradient fallacy – more on this later Insertion on Dnepr Launch Vehicle – Silo launched – SS-18 ICBM Modified for small satellite insertion – Final Spacecraft integration occurred at Dombarovsky facility Genesis launched inert, Auto activation on separation No re-boost capability 5
  • 6. Mission Objectives Primary Objective – Demonstrate Inflation and Deployment in LEO Secondary Objectives – Develop core competency to build, launch and operate satellites and space complexes – Proof of concept for folding, restraint, and core structure – Evaluate the Durability of soft goods – Long term Effectiveness of the MMOD shield Tertiary (Mission Creep) Objectives – Revenue and interest-generating payloads – Evaluate the performance of various off-the-shelf (literally) electronic components – Obtain long term evaluation of power systems – Evaluate radiation environment 6
  • 7. Genesis Spacecraft description Internal core structure, surrounded by inflated volume – Battery and payloads in interior of spacecraft – Some avionics contained on exterior of the core structure – Launch adapter on aft end 7
  • 8. Genesis Spacecraft description MMOD shield description – Multi-layer insulation with interstitial foam to provide loft – Restraint layer – load bearing – Air Barrier – Folded in launch configuration, restrained with straps Deployment systems – Retention straps released using pyro cutters β€’ Contingency - Retention straps sized to fail/release due to expansion forces – Solar array deployment – All deployment and inflation controlled by onboard flight computer 8
  • 9. Genesis Payloads Genebox - Genesis 1 – Small payload from Ames – Objective was to test sensors and optical systems for GeneSat Radiation Monitors – Dose Depth Monitors β€’ RadFETs to measure cumulative energy deposition – Proton Monitors β€’ Single Event Upset measurement 9
  • 10. Genesis Payloads Logos – some demonstration, some paying customers β€œFly-Your-Stuff” program – Small objects and cards – Allow private individuals to fly small objects in space verified by downlinked photos – Approximately 80 customers 10
  • 11. Genesis Systems Inflation – Genesis 1 : Single tank, redundant solenoid valves – Genesis 2 : 4 tanks, 1 solenoid valve each Power – 8 Solar array β€œwings”, single battery with redundant charge regulators – Solar array capacity was intentionally over-designed, with partial capability available even in deployment failure. – Solar arrays were designed to be tolerant of solar incident angle Communications – Redundant omni-directional antennae on each end of spacecraft – UHF/VHF for duplex command and telemetry – S-band for photo downlink 11
  • 12. Genesis Systems Telemetry – Genesis 1 – 1172 data parameters – Genesis 2 – 1830 data parameters – All data is recorded onboard the spacecraft and downloaded as encrypted files during passes over ground sites – Data sampling rate can be scaled up and down as necessary to prevent build up of data – Real time data points can be obtained by direct query while in communication coverage – Data is collected and archived at the Las Vegas site 12
  • 13. Genesis Systems Cameras – Genesis 1: 18 cameras for internal and external evaluation of softgoods, some oriented on payloads – Genesis 2 : 22 cameras for internal and external evaluation of softgoods β€’ Mounted on solar arrays (4) for observing softgoods and capturing projector images β€’ Interior Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras operable from ground β€’ Wireless deployable camera on exterior of MMOD shielding β€’ Some oriented on internal payloads β€’ Fisheye and Narrow field of view mounted on ends 13
  • 14. Genesis Cameras Aft mounted cameras provided earth observations – minimum resolvable distance 0.25 miles 14
  • 15. Genesis Systems Projectors – Off the shelf from the local electronics store, modified only enough to allow remote commanding and mounting – Placed on aft and forward solar array ends to project images onto exterior 15
  • 16. Attitude Control Systems Mission Design provided very forgiving pointing requirements – Nadir aft orientation and rotation about long axis provided a benign thermal environment – β€˜rotisserie’ effect – RF link margin and antenna radiating patterns allowed for comm. from almost all angles Hardware – Magnetometers β€’ 2 mounted in forward end – Sun Sensors β€’ 4 on forward structure – Magnetic torque rods β€’ 2 mounted in X (longitudinal) axis β€’ One each mounted in Y, Z axes 16
  • 17. Ground Station Network Description of Ground communications architecture – For Genesis 1 launch, VA and NV ground stations only – UHF, VHF uplink capability – 6-meter S-band dish – Some leased sites, however all assets are the property of Bigelow Aerospace 17
  • 18. Ground Stations Setup and commissioning of new ground stations – For Genesis 2 launch added AK, HI sites – Shifted VA ground station to Maine and added S-band dish 18
  • 19. Future Ground sites Additional Ground sites are planned to increase coverage on future missions 19
  • 20. De-Orbit De-orbit Analysis – Current orbital lifetime is estimated to be 12 years β€’ We are examining the drag models and refining estimates on a monthly basis – Object Reentry Satellite Analysis Tool (ORSAT) de-orbit analysis from April 2004 β€’ Parent body and Fragmentation analysis β€’ All structural components predicted to demise upon re-entry 20
  • 21. Spacecraft Construction and Testing Spacecraft assembly occurred at Nevada facility, followed by shipment to Russia. Final checkout at launch base, then turned over to Kosmotras for integration onto the space head module – ITAR at the time necessitated stringent restrictions for launch base ops and plans for recovery of possible launch failure. Applying design updates in an accelerated design cycle between Genesis 1 and 2 – Integration begun less than six months after launch of Genesis 1 - 6 months before scheduled ship date Limitations of Facilities and equipment on testing – Most equipment bench tested but bare bones approach prevents a large amount of testing systems for end to end testing – Difficulties in fully testing ACS sensors, radio systems in flight configuration Risk tradeoffs/ Risk acceptance – Ultimately for Genesis 1 and 2, there was just one paying internal customer, who was willing to evaluate and accept risks 21
  • 22. Overview of Genesis 1 and 2 operations Creating Mission Operations from scratch – all prior efforts had been on building the spacecraft – Creating plans – as basic as establishing chain of command for decision making – Establishing procedures where there are none β€’ flight rules – discuss prior to eliminate real-time debate, Etc. 22
  • 23. Genesis Operations First contact – planning for contingences on an experimental spacecraft – Minimal ground assets in place, spacecraft tumbling which complicated contact β€’ Effectively, contact time was 2-3 minutes – Needed to perform quick health and status evaluations – Downlink photos to satisfy THE customer – Verify all functions of automated sequence – Nominal tipoff rate of insertion was <2 RPM – we got better than this but ACS system was not fully operational – no stability for the first week Follow-on operations – We are holding pressure – pictures are pretty, now what? – Examining the inflation sequence and increasing pressure – Downloading complete data sets, all photo documentation 23
  • 24. Results Both Spacecraft have performed flawlessly on primary objective – inflation and deployment Power Consumption – battery performance was within design tolerances – No appreciable solar array degradation in capacity Inflation results – stable pressure with no leakage Thermal – Genesis provided data and analysis of the soft goods performance in an orbital environment Communications – this mission provided spaceflight heritage for radios which are planned to fly on future missions 24
  • 25. Lessons Learned from Genesis 1 In God we trust, all others bring data – rapid build process had not captured test data – If it is not documented, it did not happen ACS – not all disturbance torques were captured in first analysis – Rapid integration of the algorithm resulted in constant on of torquers β€’ ACS system had to be reconfigured on orbit – Initial β€˜gravity gradient’ fallacy – other disturbance torques proved dominant Identified need for baseline testing and documentation – compressed schedule did not allow for validation of as built configuration Thermal sensors were few, and sensor placement needed better documentation 25
  • 26. Applications to Genesis 2 Implemented test plans Established Pre-ship review process Increased thermal sensors and thoroughly documented placement on spacecraft – Placed thermal sensors within the MMOD shielding – Modeled the sensor placement with CAD programs Documented all test data for comparison on orbit – Mission Operator input was used to create new formats and cataloguing of data 26
  • 27. Genesis 2 Initial Ops What we improved Operations – Established and validated procedures on Genesis 1 – Validated all Genesis 2 procedure delta’s during testing – Better communication plans – Baseline testing allowed better system performance evaluation – ACS system algorithms debugged β€’ Checklist for activation rather than turning it on β€’ When we turned the ACS system on, communications stabilized within 48 hours 27
  • 28. Lesson Learned from Genesis 2 Mission Data Analysis – empirical data for LEO – Thermal Data – Radiation Data – Drag Analysis – performing model comparisons, essential for future vehicles β€’ Continuing ongoing analysis shows some unexpected data not fully modeled – Example: eccentricity of orbit fluctuating – counter-intuitive to the drag model β€’ Long term effort using Two Line Element and tracking data to evaluate orbital lifetime Identified the need for a high fidelity ground analog vehicle for testing 28
  • 29. Obstacles to Overcome Limitations on ground station access – all operations become time critical ITAR restrictions Minimizing expenditure on ground infrastructure while using only proprietary assets Genesis systems were simple but most lessons learned were procedural – problems will be prevented Maintain highly creative, innovative atmosphere while creating more rigorous processes No acceptance criteria (at first) Overcome β€˜Not invented here’ mentality 29
  • 30. Applications to future spacecraft Future vehicles – Sundancer β€’ Crewed module β€’ Engineering proof of concept β€’ Approximately 180 m3 – BA Standard β€’ Full size module ~300 m3 β€’ Capable of 3 crew – Propulsion Bus β€’ Attached node for complex assembly β€’ Reboost and resupply capability 30