Satellite Design

- Overview

NASA describes a spacecraft as a "vehicle or device designed to travel or operate outside the Earth's atmosphere." A satellite is described as "a type of spacecraft that orbits the Earth, the Moon or other celestial body". 

Activities using spacecraft have become a ubiquitous part of our society. From monitoring hurricanes to measuring the ozone layer, U.S. government agencies today rely heavily on satellites and aerospace technology for their daily activities. But how are satellites conceived, designed, produced and deployed?

- Space System Engineering: Balancing Needs and Reality

Privatization of the space industry has driven the need for cheaper, more efficient spacecraft designs. Launch prices fall as spacecraft engineering becomes part of a demand-driven economy. At the same time, public investment continued to grow and human space exploration revived. 

This evolution shakes up some of the fundamentals of space systems engineering. Companies must focus on reducing the time, cost, and risk of spacecraft design while delivering superior service and addressing complexity.

One of the most challenging aspects of spacecraft development, and indeed the activities that underpin satellite mission success, is an iterative process called systems engineering. Through this process, spacecraft developers such as Northrop Grumman determine how best to design, launch and support satellite systems that meet customer mission requirements in terms of cost, schedule, performance and reliability.

Systems engineering begins with the company's earliest discussions with customers about new systems and continues through the research, proposal and detailed design phases of satellite development. In fact, it never really stops until the customer formally approves the design of the satellite system for production.

- Satellite Design and Digital Transformation in Space Systems Engineering

Succeeding in the new space age requires cost management, a different approach to risk, and a more agile, customer-oriented business model. Thorough digitalization is essential to achieve time and cost savings at product and process level.

Satellites are built using complex electronic and mechanical components that must withstand the vibrations of a rocket launch and then operate in the space environment without maintenance for 15 years or more. 

Satellites consist of a spacecraft bus (which is the main spacecraft structure containing power, temperature control, and directional thrusters) and a communications payload (which receives, amplifies, and retransmits signals over a designated geographic area). Two key considerations in spacecraft design are power and coverage. 

Satellites contain multiple channels, called transponders, that provide bandwidth and power on designated radio frequencies. The bandwidth and power of the transponder determine how much information can be transmitted through the transponder and how large ground equipment must be to receive the signal. Additionally, satellite dishes direct signals to specific geographic areas.

- Manage Spacecraft Design Data using Digital Twins

By using digital twins, companies can significantly reduce time-to-market by shortening decision-making processes, development time, and testing cycles. Further efficiency gains can be found in the way products are conceived, manufactured and used.

Data management and integration remains a challenge for space organizations today. To overcome this challenge, they will increasingly use spacecraft digital twins. Using digital twins to manage spacecraft design data helps companies generate more valuable insights and improve decision-making.

[More to come ...]