Retrofitting and Redesigning of Conventional Launch Systems for Small Satellites

Abstract

The small satellite revolution has dominated news in the space industry for the past decade. This change in the space industry has been variously described as the “NewSpace” or “Space 2.0” revolution. Certainly a major aspect of this revolution has come from the popularity that arose from the launch of hundreds of cube satellites as well as other types of micro- and minisatellites. This new way of looking at how to design satellites, miniaturize components, and use off-the-shelf components and even new way to construct satellites on assembly lines and to test their reliability using type approvals has changed the satellite construction industry. Another key part of this Space 2.0 revolution has come in the space launch industry. We have seen the development of new rocket launchers that represent new ways of designing, manufacturing, integrating, and testing of launch vehicles as well. The conventional suppliers of rocket launchers have also reacted by reinventing themselves as well.

This Space 2.0 revolution with regard to launch vehicles has frequently led to innovations as well – both for new entries in the launch industry and for established launch providers. We have seen such changes as use of new materials, new avionics and other subsystems, as well as new construction techniques and testing systems. In some cases there have been efforts to create alternatives to launching from conventional launch facilities such as launching from carrier vehicles or even balloons or air towing systems. This ongoing effort to create new launchers to support the burgeoning market represented by “cubesats”on up to “microsats” and “minisats” for smallsat LEO constellations keeps expanding. In short all launch services providers – new and old – have seen the need for change, innovation, cost reduction, and better performance.

This chapter focuses on how the “conventional suppliers” of launchers have adapted to the changing space industry and have responded as effectively as possible to the challenge represented by new and more entrepreneurial providers of new launch systems.

In short, this chapter focuses on the “conventional” or “established” launch providers and explores some truly important changes that are now afoot. It is clear that the established providers of rocket launchers intend on innovating and responding to the competitive challenges that the “NewSpace” or “Space 2.0” revolution has brought to the launch services industry. Currently there is some “protection” to the “conventional” launch providers offered due to the fact that national launches, particularly those for strategic or defense-related missions, are restricted to national flag industries.

There is now an effort around the world to innovate, to redesign, to reconfigure, and to adapt the space launch process. In some cases, it is a matter of changing existing launch vehicles or upgrading launch system adapters to accommodate the growing need to launch these much smaller craft and to launch many more smallsats at one time. The move is on to reduce costs, accommodate more small satellite launches, and accommodate new types of commercial space systems customers that are new to the world of space and have new types of expectations.

This chapter addresses these creative adaptations, redesigns, or totally new innovations from the established space launcher industry. This creative adaptive process is addressed in three different parts:

• (i) The use of large-scale launcher system residual capacity to provide for a piggyback ride for space

• (ii) The creation of new launch configurations to create a way to accommodate multiple minisatellites such as smallsats of the 100–500 kg class

• (iii) Other innovative launch configurations that range from getting payloads into space via hosted payload systems, multiple smallsat carrier systems that accommodate a number of “smallsats” or even small experiments that fly on board the International Space Station as installed on the NanoRacks experimental station

In addition to the information provided in this chapter and the ones that follow in this section, there is supplemental information on launch systems that can be used for deploying small satellites in Appendix E on Global Launch Systems.