• Surrey Satellite Technology S-band Patch Antennas
• Surrey Satellite Technology Stock

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a spin-off company of the University of Surrey, now fully owned by Airbus Defence and Space, that builds and operates small satellites. Its satellites began as amateur radio satellites known by the UoSAT (University of Surrey SATELLITE) name or by an OSCAR (Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) designation. SSTL funds research projects with the University's Surrey Space Centre, which does research into satellite and space topics.

SSTL-150 Satellite Platform 50kg Payload Mass 100W Payload Power (Peak) 5 to 7-Year Lifetime Surrey is a world leader in the provision of small satellite solutions, applications and services, with an unparalleled heritage and track record 34 spacecraft launched to date 100% mission success for 10 years Over 200 on-orbit years of experience.

The University sold a 10% share of SSTL to SpaceX in January 2005, it then agreed to sell its majority share (roughly 80% of the capital) to EADS Astrium in April 2008.^[3] In August 2008 SSTL opened a US subsidiary^[4] which it closed in 2017.^[5]

SSTL was awarded the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement in 1998, and the Queen's Awards for Enterprise in 2005. In 2006 SSTL won the Times Higher Education Supplement award for outstanding contribution to innovation and technology.^[6]In 2009 SSTL ranked 89 out of the 997 companies that took part in the Sunday Times Top 100 companies to work for.^[7]

History[edit]

Surrey Satellite was founded in Guildford, Surrey, UK in 1985.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, SSTL moved into remote sensing services with the launch of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) and an associated child company, DMC International Imaging.^{[citation needed]} SSTL also adopted the Internet Protocol for the DMC satellites it builds and operates, migrating from use of the AX.25 protocol popular in amateur radio.^[when?] The CLEO Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit, on board the UK-DMC satellite along with a network of payloads, takes advantage of this adoption of the Internet Protocol. In 2010 and 2012 SSTL was awarded contracts to supply 22 navigation payloads^[8] for Europe's Galileo space navigation system and in 2017 was awarded a contract to supply a further 12 payloads ^[9].

In 2008, Surrey formed a US subsidiary, Surrey Satellite Technology-US, in Englewood, Colorado to focus on the US smallsat market. In June 2017, SSTL announced they would close the Colorado satellite manufacturing facility in the US and would consolidate all manufacturing back into the UK.^[4][5]

Satellites[edit]

• Eutelsat Quantum satellite platform consisting of a central thrust tube housing a bipropellent chemical propulsion system, GEO momentum wheels and gyro. ^[10] small geostationary platform. Delivered to Airbus in Toulouse January 2019 for assembly and testing.
• COSMIC-2/FORMOSAT-7 for National Space Organization (Taiwan) and NOAA (US). Atmospheric limb sounding by GNSS radio occultation, ionospheric research; follow-on mission to COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3
• VESTA-1 a technology demonstration mission for Honeywell launched December 2018 that will test a new two-way VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) payload for the exactEarth advanced maritime satellite constellation.^[11]
• NovaSAR-1:- Part funded by UK Government, S-Band SAR Payload supplied by Airbus Defence &Space. S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar to help monitor suspicious shipping activity.^[12] Launched on 16 September 2018, by ISRO.^[13]
• RemoveDEBRIS: Active Debris Removal (ADR) technology demonstration in 2018^[14] (e.g. capture, deorbiting) representative of an operational scenario during a low-cost mission using novel key technologies.^[15] RemoveDebris will deploy a representative small satellite and then will recapture and de-orbit it. Launched on 2 April 2018 to the International Space Station, deployed from the KIBO airlock on the ISS in June 2018.^[16][17]
• Telesat LEO prototype satellite for Telesat as part of a test and validation phase for an advanced, global LEO satellite constellation. Launched January 2018 ^[18][19]
• CARBONITE-2, an Earth Observation technology demonstration mission owned and operated by SSTL and launched January 2018 which successfully demonstrated video-from-orbit capability.^[20][21]
• TripleSat: A Constellation of 3 Earth observation satellites imaging at 1m resolution. Image data leased to Chinese company 21AT. ^[22]
• Five RapidEye satellite platforms delivered to MDA MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates for the RapidEye Constellation and successfully launched from Baikonur on 29 August 2008.
• UK-DMC 2 and Deimos-1 were launched on a Dnepr rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 29 July 2009.
• NigeriaSat-2 and NX satellites, successfully launched on 17 August 2011. ^[23]
• exactView-1, successfully launched on 22 July 2012 on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. ^[24]
• SAPPHIRE: Providing a satellite-based Resident Space Object (RSO) observing service that will provide accurate tracking data on deep space orbiting objects. Sapphire is the CanadianDepartment of National Defence's first dedicated operational military satellite, its space-based electro-optical sensor will track man-made space objects in Earth orbits between 6000 and 40,000 km as part of Canada's continued support of Space Situational Awareness and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network by updating the U.S. Satellite Catalogue that is used by both NORAD and Canada.^[25]
• STRaND-1:^[26] Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Development 1, launched in 2013, flies several new technologies for space applications and demonstration including the use of Android (operating system) open source operating system on a Smartphone.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Surrey Satellite Technology S-band Patch Antennas

1. ^SSTL Revenues and Profit Down Sharply^{[permanent dead link]}, Peter de Selding, Space News, 15 February 2007.
2. ^How to build space satellites out of iPods, Malcolm Moore and Roger Highfield, Daily Telegraph, 29 December 2005.
3. ^EADS Astrium signs an agreement to acquire Surrey Satellite Technology Limited from the University of Surrey^{[permanent dead link]}, press release, 7 April 2008.
4. ^ ^abSurrey Satellite Technology US opens for businessArchived 28 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine, SSTL press release, 5 August 2008.
5. ^ ^abhttp://spacenews.com/sstl-closing-us-factory-centralizing-manufacturing-back-in-uk/
6. ^SSTL wins Times Higher award, 16 November 2006.
7. ^SSTL earn Sunday Times AwardArchived 27 April 2009 at Archive.today, SSTL space blog, 17 MArch 2009.
8. ^'BBC News online'.
9. ^https://www.sstl.co.uk/media-hub/latest-news/2017/sstl-celebrates-galileo-navigation-payload-order
10. ^'Space News'.
11. ^ Launched 3 December 2018. 'Satellite Today'.
12. ^NovaSAR: UK radar satellite to track illegal marine shipping activity. Jonathan Amos, BBC News. 16 September 2018.
13. ^'ISRO Launches 2 UK Earth Observation Satellites Successfully'. Headlines Today. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
14. ^RemoveDebris: Space junk mission prepares for launch. Rebecca Morelle, BBC News. 28 November 2017.
15. ^'The Guardian'.
16. ^Space junk demo mission launches. Jonathan Amos, BBC News. 2 April 2018.
17. ^https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44603780
18. ^'Telesat website'.
19. ^https://www.sstl.co.uk/media-hub/latest-news/2018/sstl-confirms-launch-of-carbonite-2-and-telesat-le
20. ^Allison, George (1 March 2018). 'Royal Air Force surveillance satellite launched into space'. UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
21. ^https://www.sstl.co.uk/media-hub/latest-news/2018/sstl-releases-first-full-colour-videos-from-carbon
22. ^https://www.sstl.co.uk/media-hub/latest-news/2015/sstl-announces-the-successful-launch-of-the-dmc3-t
23. ^https://www.sstl.co.uk/media-hub/latest-news/2011/sstl-successfully-launches-2-satellites-for-nigeri
24. ^https://www.sstl.co.uk/media-hub/latest-news/2012/sstl-announces-the-successful-launch-of-exactview-
25. ^SSTL's 40th satellite platform launch: Sapphire reaches orbit, SpaceDaily.com, 26 February 2013
26. ^'STRaND-1 smartphone nanosatellite'. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2014.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 51°14′31″N0°37′01″W / 51.24194°N 0.61694°W

By Asif Anwar

This is the second part of a two-part guest column. Click here to read Part 1

Small Satellites Increasing In Profile

Military satellite technical advances include a move to smaller platforms. Small satellites provide a range of benefits in terms of smaller mass, rapid deployment time, lower cost, and utility. These advantages are being used by emerging nations as they enable faster penetration into space at lower cost. It is estimated that up to 62 nations have now launched satellites with an emphasis on smaller platforms. At the same time, traditional players are also starting to look at small satellites to leverage the flexibility and value-for-money offered to augment existing satellite systems.

In Europe, the United Kingdom has been one of the pioneering nations in developing small satellites over the past 30 years. UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), established in 1985 and acquired by EADS in 2009, has worked on pioneering the small satellite approach, with a focus on providing end-to-end capabilities comprising design, manufacture, integration, test, orbital operations, and launch services, all underpinned by fast turnaround times.

Early applications for small satellites have covered imaging, communications, and signals intelligence (SIGINT). The SNAP-1 nanosatellite, launched in 1998, was an imaging platform, while the French ESSAIM System was designed for ELINT (electronic signals intelligence) missions. Other applications for small satellites have included atmospheric research and monitoring space weather. Small satellites have also been used to provide the “internet in space.” UoSAT-12, launched in 2001, was used as a web server in space to transfer real-time telemetry and stored image data directly to the user, while in 2005 the UK-DMC carried a Cisco router.

One of the key advantages cited for small satellites is the affordability of constellations and the use of small satellites in swarms. Small satellite constellations can offer rapid revisit times over target areas and, when used in conjunction with overlapping orbits, allow large areas to be covered. The use of satellite swarms offer advantages of increased aperture for imaging applications.

Examples of small satellite constellations include the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). The individual satellites are operated under the basis of individual country ownership, and this is coupled with collaborative operation to allow data sharing and exchange of global images that are gathered daily and used for national, disaster, and commercial use. The first generation of DMC small satellites were launched in 2003 and were operated by Algeria, Nigeria, Turkey, and the UK, and have since been retired. The current batch of DMC satellites are owned by China, Nigeria (two satellites), Spain, and the UK.

The United States also has a range of programs looking at the applicability of small satellites. As an example, the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office, created in 2007, is a joint initiative of several agencies within the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The primary objective of the ORS office is to develop end-to-end capabilities and provide space assets in a cost effective and timely fashion using a modular open system architecture (MOSA) making use of reconfigurable, modular bus, and payload systems.

The payloads are based around a RF family and an EO/IR family. The RF family incorporates the RF electronics, processing electronics, RF feeds and multiband reflector for missions involving communications, tactical electronic support, and battlespace awareness. Similarly, the EO/IR family incorporates the electronics, filter assembly, focal plane assembly, and multifunction telescope to support imaging, spectral sensing, surveillance, and blue force tracking missions. Both families are designed to be plug-and-play payloads that can be incorporated onto a prefabricated modular bus structure and space plug and play avionics (SPA) backplane.

Over the past four years, ORS has had four launches including TacSat-4, which was launched in 2011 to provide COTM (communications on the move). Placed in an elliptical orbit with a peak at 12,000 km, the satellite is able to make three passes per day over a given location, providing an average of two hours of COTM at the location without the need for user antenna pointing. Through these launches, ORS has demonstrated that small satellites have military utility for the US.

Advances in small satellite technology have elevated the status of small satellites from just being “military relevant” to “laptop in space” platforms that can offer capabilities and advantages over traditional platforms in certain operational environs. As well as being able to showcase continued advancement in technologies, small satellites are also providing monetary benefits, especially with budgetary constraints a growing primary consideration. From an operational perspective, small satellites present another layer of surveillance complementing the close-up view that can be provided with tactical UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) with situational awareness.

Technology Trends For Military Satellites

Commercial satellite communications occurs in three primary bands: C, Ku, and Ka. In addition to these frequency bands, military satellite systems also make extensive use of X-band communications frequencies. Typical military satellite communications have been focused on C band and X band, but these bands are not only expensive (especially the military-specific X band) but are also increasingly capacity constrained. With additional BLOS (beyond line of sight) requirements coming from UAV platforms and a continuing growth in intelligence requirements, demand for bandwidth is continuing to increase, and this has resulted in military satellite communications making use of expensive solutions over military X band as well as Ku band.

Consequently, emerging military and civilian Ka-band technologies are also being actively considered. The use of Ka-band allows higher upload and download data rates and better spectral efficiencies, while at the same time taking advantage of significantly less congestion in the spectrum band. Significantly, this also lowers bandwidth cost.

In Europe, UK-based Avanti Communications is leveraging growing demand for data based communications by offering services on Ka-band satellites. The company launched HYLAS 1 in November 2010 to cover Europe and this was followed in 2012 with the launch of HYLAS 2. Avanti has been working with the UK MOD through Paradigm to test military Ka-band communications based on HYLAS 1 services.

There are a range of payload technologies used for applications such as imaging, communications, and signals intelligence, and emerging technologies are helping to drive future platform development.

Technology enhancements at the component and system level include gallium arsenide (GaAs) based triple junction solar cells, gallium nitride (GaN) based power amplifiers, and the use of phased array antennas. Additional areas being examined include the use of intersatellite link systems to provide near real-time capabilities for satellite control, monitoring satellite telemetry and returning data. The utilization of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components is also becoming more prevalent, and onboard processing is one area using COTS-based technologies to increase data delivery speed and reduce data rates and bandwidth rates, as well as the associated power requirements.

The use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is also starting to be applied for smaller satellite platforms. As an example, the UK-funded NovaSAR constellation will comprise a 450kg satellite with an S-band radar Astrium payload using GaN technology. Built by Astrium and SSTL, an airborne (DC-3) demonstrator has been flown providing results that have been comparable to X band. The satellite is expected to be launched in 2014.

Conclusions

Despite the fiscally challenging environment, the importance of satellites in the military domain is going to continue to increase. Space is a sovereign asset, and a whole-of-government approach is needed to maintain both domestic capabilities and international operations. The fiscally constrained environment will result in more cooperation between nations on developing and sharing capabilities, and public private partnership (PPP) schemes will also see increasing use among other nations. The pooling of resources will be another feature in this fiscally challenging environment.

Technology and platform advances will serve as a catalyst for increased use of satellite platforms. Advances in technology have elevated the status of small satellites, and the utilization of COTS components is becoming more prevalent, especially as military satellite platforms share development with commercial ventures. Technology enhancements at the component and system level include GaAs-based triple junction solar cells, GaN-based power amplifiers, and the use of phased array antennas. Ka band will also form an increasingly staple part of the military satellite communications portfolio over the coming years.

Surrey Satellite Technology Stock

This article was derived from the Strategy Analytics ADS service report, “Military Satellite Trends and Outlook”, which looks at the current status and future trends of military satellites based on presentations and discussions during the IQPC Military Satellites 2012 conference.