RAPIS-1 (RAPid Innovative payload demonstration Satellite 1) is a satellite launched on 18 January 2019 which for over a year was used to test seven technology demonstration projects. RAPIS-1 was developed and operated by Axelspace Corporation, under the coordination of the Japanese space agency

JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orb ...

Overview

RAPIS-1 was the main satellite of the

Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-1 The Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program is a series of spacecraft missions for testing technology and ideas put forward by universities and private companies. The program demonstrates various experimental devices and technology ...

mission. RAPIS-1 demonstrated various projects attached to it as either parts or components. The call for proposals for this mission was announced in 2015, and selection results were announced in February 2016. Of the 13 projects selected for Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-1, 7 were on board RAPIS-1. A total of eight projects was initially selected, but a proposal by

IHI Corporation , formerly known as , is a Japanese engineering corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan that produces and offers ships, space launch vehicles, aircraft engines, marine diesel engines, gas turbines, gas engines, railway systems, turbochargers ...

, the "Demonstration experiment of a innovative ship information receiving system" was later dropped, making the number of projects sent to space on board RAPIS-1 seven. Along with testing the seven projects, RAPIS-1's satellite system also was tested as part of the overall mission. RAPIS-1was developed by Axelspace Corporation, a

startup company A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...

focusing on small satellite development and application, and is the largest satellite to date the company developed. According to reports by Japanese media, RAPIS-1 was the first case for JAXA to contract a private company to manage the entirety of a satellite, from its development to its operation.

Payload

* The NanoBridge based Field Programmable Gate Array (NBFPGA) is a compact

FPGA A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturinghence the term '' field-programmable''. The FPGA configuration is generally specified using a hardware de ...

using atomic switches. NBFPGA was developed by

NEC Corporation is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...

. *High data rate X-band Transmitter (HXTX) / X-band Middle Gain Antenna (XMGA) was developed by

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

. * The Green Propellant Reaction Control System (GPRCS) is a propulsion system to demonstrate the use of less-toxic fuel. GPRCS was developed by

Japan Space Systems The was a Japanese space agency, which was founded by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1986. Unlike NASDA, ISAS, and NAL, it was not included in the JAXA organization, which was founded in 2003. The chairperson is Ichiro Tan ...

, a space agency under the Japanese

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry The or METI, is a ministry of the Government of Japan. It was created by the 2001 Central Government Reform when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) merged with agencies from other ministries related to economic activities, ...

. * The Space Particle Monitor (SPM) was developed by Japan Space Systems, and is an orbital environment monitor using commercial-off-the-shelf products. Most orbital measuring instruments thus far were designed for large satellites and are bulky and costly, while SPM is small, light, and inexpensive, making it suitable for small satellites to carry. According to Japan Space Systems, by monitoring radiation SPM will help determine the cause of satellite failures. * The Deep Learning Attitude Sensor (DLAS) is a dual use Earth sensor and

star tracker A star tracker is an optical device that measures the positions of stars using photocells or a camera. As the positions of many stars have been measured by astronomers to a high degree of accuracy, a star tracker on a satellite or spacecraft may ...

applying

deep learning Deep learning (also known as deep structured learning) is part of a broader family of machine learning methods based on artificial neural networks with representation learning. Learning can be supervised, semi-supervised or unsupervised. De ...

. Images taken will be analyzed by deep learning, and the results will be sent to

ground station A ground station, Earth station, or Earth terminal is a terrestrial radio station designed for extraplanetary telecommunication with spacecraft (constituting part of the ground segment of the spacecraft system), or reception of radio waves fro ...

s, effectively conducting edge computing in space. DLAS was developed by

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a national research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology, one of first five Designated National University and selected as ...

(TITech), and is aiming for commercialization. * The Thin Membrane Solar Array Paddle (TMSAP) is a

thin-film solar cell A thin-film solar cell is a second generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin film (TF) of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are commercially use ...

that will be unfolded in space. It consists of five panels, each with one-fifths the weight of traditional

honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of Triangular prismatic honeycomb#Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb, hexagonal prismatic Beeswax, wax cells built by honey bees in their beehive, nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen. beekeeping, Beekee ...

rigid panels. TMSAP was developed by JAXA. *Fireant (Miniature Spaceborne GNSS Receiver) was developed by

Chubu University is located in Kasugai, Aichi, Japan. Chubu University was established as the Chubu Institute of Technology in 1964 with the motto "Acta, non Verba" (Actions, not Words), but its institutional history begins with the Nagoya Daichi High School e ...

References

External links

Official website

Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-1
- JAXA

RAPIS-1
- Axelspace
DLAS Project
{{2019 in space Satellites of Japan 2019 in Japan Spacecraft launched in 2019

Overview

Payload

See also

References

External links