Tim Furniss/LONDON
The UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) will embark on the second phase of its Space Technology Research Satellites (STRV) programme on 15 November, with the launch of the next pair of STRVs on an Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana. STRV 1C and D are designed to fast-track the latest space technology into orbit by testing new technologies and components in the harsh space environment.
STRV 1C and D will weigh 100kg (220lb) and carry 25 hardware and four software experiments into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), where the satellites will receive high doses of natural radiation, allowing the accelerated life testing of new technologies. The instruments include advanced radiation, micro-meteoroid and debris sensors, technology demonstrators - new microprocessors, solar cells and a global positioning system experiment - and an infrared detector.
The first pair of STRVs, which weighed 55kg, were launched in June 1994, since when their experiments have resulted in significant enhancements and cost savings to military and commercial space programmes, says DERA.
The STRVs will be accessed and controlled by the prime DERA antenna at West Freugh in Scotland and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK and by NASA's worldwide Deep Space Tracking network.
The mission is expected to achieve a number of firsts, including being the first microsatellites to ride "piggy back" on an Ariane 5. STRV 1C and D will be launched with the Panamsat PAS 1R communications satellite and amateur radio spacecraft, Amsat.
The microsatellites will be the first to be powered by an operational lithium ion battery and will mark the first space use of the Sun Sparc microprocessor, capable of surviving in space. The DERA-patented carbon-composite joint will be used in a structure, for the first time offering stiffness improvements over conventional methods of joining flat panels. They will also act as test-beds for emerging internet-based space communications standards to prove their suitability for future missions.
The next pair of satellites in the series, STRV 1E and F, could be launched in 2003/04 and the search for partners has begun. The main objectives of the new series would be to demonstrate robust, more advanced miniature components.
Meanwhile, a Medium Wave Infrared (MWIR) instrument built by DERA has detected a non-afterburning aircraft from 406km (252 miles) in Earth orbit for the first time. The DERA instrument is flying aboard the US Air Force's Tri-Service Experiments satellite, TSX-5, which was launched into a 406km by 1,706km, 69° inclination orbit on 7 June. The detection involved a commercial Boeing 747 flying over Kent in the UK.
Source: Flight International
