hi
my name is chris baker i am the program
executive for the small spacecraft
technology program and the
flight opportunity programs within nasa
space technology mission directorate
i'm talking to you today actually about
the small spacecraft
uh technology plan uh that stmd is
working on as part of the new star
process
probably heard a bit about this in some
of the other presentations so hopefully
you're already aware
so why are we here well nasa believes
that
small spacecraft have the potential to
shape what is possible when the agency
approaches how we how we do our missions
going forward in the future
this presentation is is in and the full
plan that's attached to it and is
hopefully available to you online
contains some of the desired future
states
called outcomes in this presentation
that we're looking to enable
using using these small spacecraft
platforms so there's no one single
technological solution and many of these
uh
you know technology gaps or plans that
we have here
can be approached from a variety of
different angles
so what we're trying to present to you
today is a number of
of potential ways that we can go enable
these future missions
and then we're looking for help from
industry
and academia on how to close these
technology gaps and achieve these
desired future states
so i want to highlight as we go through
this that this
uh plan is uh that i'm referencing
throughout this is it a draft
and things will change before it is
final as of the recording of this
presentation there is
an rfi that will be imminently released
that asks for feedback from the
community on
the small spacecraft technology plan so
uh please be looking for that
small spacecraft are proving to be a
disruptive innovation for
exploration discovery and the expansion
of space commerce
so nasa is pursuing rapid identification
development and testing of capabilities
that exploit these agile spacecraft
platforms and responsive launch
capabilities
again we're looking to increase the pace
of space exploration
scientific discovery and help expand
space commerce
this plan is largely focused on cubesats
and micro satellites but again this is a
draft and that size
discussion is is uh active and subject
to change
um and also in this plan we are talking
about some elements of responsive launch
including suborbital capabilities so
expanding
the uh the sphere of human presence
economic activity and knowledge deeper
into the solar system
requires capabilities that can be
fielded faster and at lower cost
so how do small spacecraft fit into
these architectures for exploration
discovery and space technology that nasa
is pursuing
so within exploration you know we have
exploration precursor missions that are
looking for
uh resources uh that are attempting to
identify risks
and then we also have um potential
exploration infrastructure like
communications networks
and navigation capabilities that could
be potentially fielded around
a body like the moon much in the way
that we have
space infrastructure that helps us
navigate and communicate here on earth
in fact there is an rfi from the scan
group at nasa
out on the street right now about how
commercial capabilities could help
provide
uh communications capabilities around
the moon
and then within you know scientific
discovery
uh there's a lot of interest in how
small spacecraft uh can be used for
distributed missions much in the way
that uh
small spacecraft constellations are
providing new data
about the earth how these
systems of these distributed systems of
small spacecraft can be
expanded beyond used for heliophysics
and space weather
telescopes comprised of separate
elements that could be used for
astrophysics and a number of other
innovative ways of using multiple
spacecraft for an affordable distributed
mission
are are interesting and potentially of
high value
to the scientific community additionally
similar to the exploration precursor
missions
you know targeted missions to the moon
to mars to venus and to other places
within the solar system
using small spacecraft potentially
provides
a lower cost and more rapid way for us
to go make
specific measurements about a
destination of interest beyond earth
and then more broadly within the space
technology mission directorate
we're trying to embrace within small
spacecraft kind of the agile aerospace
practices from industry and use small
spacecraft as a platform
with which we can rapidly test
technologies that are applicable
to all of the architectures we just
talked about whether they are for space
small spacecraft in particular or might
be used on a larger platform
small spacecraft do provide us that
quick rapid turnaround
ability to get that that technology on
orbit we have a few desired future
states which we've called outcomes here
but
like i said this is a draft and subject
to change so um we're already in
discussion that the outcomes are
probably not going to look like this
when the final version comes out
so instead for the purpose of this
discussion let's think of these as
as small design reference missions
single line design reference missions so
what are the desired future states that
we are attempting to create what is the
plan that we are putting out
supposed to build up to so i'm just
going to highlight a few of them here so
one of the things we're interested in is
affordable access to the moon
mars and the rest of the inner planets
and other deep space destinations
you know this side of the asteroid belt
and we're looking to do that
you know with multiple opportunities a
year and and for a target cost that's
under 15 million and then once there
you know we're looking for small rapid
affordable missions that can compete
with traditionally scaled
systems you know for targeted
measurements at the moon and those other
destinations
and and again there we're looking for
something that can be developed rapidly
so in this case under three years
and at low cost so we're looking for a
mission that can be done for under 30
million dollars including the launch
and and like i said developed in under
three years and as referenced earlier
we're also looking at affordable
and kind of modular interoperable
communication navigations and other
support infrastructure
that can provide full coverage of the
moon and eventually mars
and again looking for this to be a
low-cost a low-cost system
so how do we build from where we are
today to achieving these these future
outcomes
and so the full plan has a number of
these but i'm just going to give a quick
example here today
so looking at that second one how we
develop these small and affordable
missions that are competitive with
traditional
uh size spacecraft for for missions to
the moon
there are a number of technologies
that feed off of one another and
eventually build up
uh to achieving this capability so
obviously we are doing missions
uh to the moon with small spacecraft we
are doing missions to mars with small
spacecraft
but how do we make those systems more
competitive
with the larger scale systems how do we
bring that cost and that schedule
within these bounds here and so there's
a few
technology gaps that we've identified um
that if closed can help us achieve that
outcome
so for example we need high delta v
propulsion for small spacecraft can you
see that over there
as gap sst-01
now what feeds into that potentially is
sst-008
and that is high specific power systems
and thermal control for small spacecraft
and
you can kind of see the connection there
if you are using for example electric
propulsion to get your high delta v
you're going to need some source of uh
of higher power
than we currently have available on
these small platforms
and so by achieving those two
outcomes you can see how you build your
way forward to having a system
that can achieve this desired future
state
similarly you're going to need deep
space communication you're going to need
earth
and gps independent navigation and
timing
and there are elements that potentially
feed in into there
um if you're going to go do something
around an asteroid
or you know a low orbit you're going to
need some kind of proximity operations
capability
and again there are all elements of
these
technologies that are being worked on
today but we're looking here is to
identify the gaps
um that we want to close and in the next
couple of slides i'll give you a few
examples of those gaps and some of the
specifications we're looking for there
first example here is that
aforementioned high delta v propulsion
for small spacecraft so again enabling
many of these missions we have
envisioned for this
small class of spacecraft they're going
to require
two to five kilometers of delta v over a
multi-year life of the mission
so if we're going to enable that level
of propulsive capability in cubesats
or you know similarly sized or slightly
larger micro satellites
it's going to have to be high impulse
per unit spacecraft high total impulse
and still remain low power per unit of
spacecraft
and compatible with secondary payload
launch restrictions
another example here is earth and gps
independent position navigation and
timing
so again as we expand small spacecraft
further to deep space we're going to
need highly accurate position knowledge
and precision timing that
doesn't rely on gps or other
earth-centric aids
so future spacecraft are going to be
able to determine
and potentially transmit this relative
and absolute position as well as keep in
exchange precise timing
this is required for these you know
standalone missions for exploration
precursor missions or discovery missions
but also if small spacecraft are going
to act as
infrastructure for exploration and
especially if they're going to be used
for distributed missions that are
comprised of multiple small spacecraft
so
some potential technology techniques
here could include
you know enhanced visual navigation
capabilities like star trackers that
can also be used for uh relative
navigation using surface features or
other spacecraft
um to things that may be a little bit
more exotic like measuring x-ray
emissions from pulsars laser range
finding
these are not necessarily new
technologies but these capabilities
within this form factor and at these
price points
potentially requires uh you know
additional technology investment so
again we need to be
uh compatible with the inherent size
weight and power constraints
of cubesats and and other
microsatellites and they need to be
processed on board which can also be a
challenge
and then uh finally one of the things
that we think is is somewhat inherent to
our use of small spacecraft going
forward is the ability to
produce these spacecraft in batches and
make them
modular so the interchangeable hardware
and software standardizations that
allow these spacecraft to be built from
somewhat plug and play
capabilities allows us to tailor
spacecraft designs
for novel applications and deep space
applications
without requiring significant
modification from commercial
off-the-shelf platforms
so this modularity can also be used to
increase this reliability and introduce
these new functionality
without sacrificing the ability to
leverage
the innovations from the commercial
sector so we want to partner with
industry
on how we can make small spacecraft in
in these large batches that are going to
be required for
distributed missions like synthetic
apertures and disaggregated science
observations
or these planetary relay uh
constellations um
and also how we can leverage the
advances
that are occurring with commercial off
the cell shelf hardware
and yet also customize those spacecraft
to a degree
for these nasa unique uh and and deep
space applications
so going forward how does the plan
help you well again this is still a
draft plan
it is subject to change and is already
changing since you know
we first made this presentation or
recording this this talk
the objective of the plan is to clearly
communicate nasa's needs
as we currently see them we're in the
process
of having nasa prioritize
what the technology gaps that we are
attempting to invest in are
and that will inform future solicitation
and investments including sbir topics
and we're going to be putting out an rfi
that is hopefully out by the time you uh
see this for the
feedback on this full plan for the small
spacecraft element of it and we welcome
your feedback on how you think we
should go after our desired future
states if we have
identified the correct technology gaps
and
if there are any other alternative
approaches or additional information
that you think
nasa should have when looking at how we
move forward
and how we enable these new capabilities
that we are looking for
with small spacecraft because again we
want to work with industry and academia
to adapt these commercial solutions and
these terrestrial technologies
for deep space and for other nasa unique
capabilities
and before we close here i want to make
a quick
plug for the two programs i'm the
program executive of and how the small
businesses such as yourself can take
advantage of or participate
in in those programs so small spacecraft
technology program
here we're looking to expand the ability
to execute unique missions through rapid
development demonstration of small
spacecraft
you know for exploration science in the
commercial space sector so
small spacecraft technology often leverages
sbir developed technologies to help bring
them to flight
um and so sbir companies uh i would say
should generally stay aware
of the program's activities and
opportunities and if you go to the link
at the bottom there
um you'll be brought to the uh the
website where there is a
a a link you can navigate to our
currently open opportunities that's one
of the places where we're going to
uh post this rfi i have mentioned a few
times and then
with my other hat on the flight
opportunities program facilitates rapid
demonstration of promising technologies
for space exploration discovery and
again expansion of space commerce
through suborbital testing with industry
flight providers so we have an annual
solicitation that provides uh
funds uh for suborbital flight tests
with commercial providers
um companies that already have sbir phase 1
awards are eligible to come to us
and have flight opportunities uh explore
facilitating uh
testing via phase 3 um if
that test is of interest to both the
commercial entity and to nasa we can
we can help facilitate that and also
flight opportunities can act as a
so-called external investor in a post
phase 2 activity that includes
suborbital flight testing so
if you're looking at a phase 2 e or x
and uh suborbital flight testing is part
of your plan
you can come to us and potentially we
can help provide
that matching funding that is needed for
those awards so with that
i will hopefully be available later uh
this week if
uh depending on the time you're looking
at this uh for a live session to answer
any questions you might have so uh
please check the schedule for that and
again thank you very much
appreciate your attention