Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks (EDSN) was a failed (launch failure)

CubeSat A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

NASA Ames The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

, developed as a technology demonstration of satellite networking. The constellation would have consisted of 8 identical satellites. The satellites followed the CubeSat specifications for a 1.5U CubeSat. EDSN was funded through the Small Spacecraft Technology Program (SSTP). Additionally, NASA Ames has partnered with NASA Marshall,

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

, and

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

. All 8 CubeSats were destroyed during a launch failure of the

Super Strypi SPARK, or Spaceborne Payload Assist Rocket - Kauai, also known as Super Strypi, is an American expendable launch system developed by the University of Hawaii, Sandia and Aerojet Rocketdyne. Designed to place miniaturized satellites into low Eart ...

rocket on November 3, 2015.

Mission

The eight identical spacecraft used absolute timing obtained from

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

satellites to maintain a schedule. Each day, one satellite would have acted as a Captain and the rest would have acted as Lieutenants. Each spacecraft was able to act as a Captain, and the role of Captain would have rotated through the constellation each 25-hour period. Lieutenants would only communicate with the Captain, and the Captain would have been responsible for downlinking to an Earth station.

Lifetime

NASA had estimated a 60-day mission lifetime, at which time the satellites would have drifted apart beyond the 100–120 km estimated range of the cross link and would have no longer been able to network.

Orbit

The constellation was planned for a 500 km altitude.

Design

EDSN was using Triangular Advanced Solar Cells (TASC) for power generation. Intersatellite communications would have been on

UHF Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...

via a tapespring antenna. Ground communications would have been via an S-band patch antenna. The spacecraft would have used

magnetometers A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, ...

and

gyroscopes A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rotat ...

as attitude determination instruments and reaction wheels and torque coils for attitude control. Cross link would have occurred via the UHF transceiver and on a UHF monopole with an estimated maximum range of 100–120 km. The link would have been initiated when the captain pings the specific Lieutenant's ID. The specified Lieutenant would have then responded with data to be downlinked. Downlink would have occurred on S-Band between the current captain and ground station. The flight computer was a Samsung Nexus S

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

References

External links