STTR Phase I: A Reliable and Efficient New Method for Satellite Attitude Control

STTR第一阶段：可靠、高效的卫星姿态控制新方法

• 批准号: 2310323
• 负责人: FNU VEDANT
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: SAMARA AEROSPACE, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2310323&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Reliable; Efficient; New

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project offers significant changes to the conventional concept of spacecraft orientation control by providing increased agility, along with reduced mass, volume, and cost. These advantages open doors to new scientific and commercial opportunities. The project addresses the demanding needs of future space observatories and commercial spacecraft that require high agility systems, currently unachievable with existing attitude control solutions. Moreover, this system, as a more affordable 3-axis control option, is set to increase access to space for lower-budget missions, making space exploration more accessible than ever before. The systems application is envisioned to enable advances in sectors such as satellite-to-satellite communications, adding momentum to global digital connectivity initiatives. This STTR Phase I project seeks to develop a Multifunctional Structures for Attitude Control (MSAC) system and increase its efficiency and reliability, pushing it towards achieving readiness for flight demonstration. The project addresses the existing challenge of the system's fatigue strength and its compatibility with the harsh space environment, factors crucial for its commercial success and durability in its intended application. This project's aim is to design a flight-capable system, drawing on the insights from lab-scale tests and prototypes. It also seeks to simultaneously improve the system's mechanical and electrical design to elevate efficiency and reliability standards. Through this research method, the team anticipates a better understanding and eventual mitigation of potential failure modes, paving the way for the realization of a robust, space-ready prototype. The anticipated technical results from this endeavor have the potential to revolutionize the spacecraft attitude control market.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目通过提供更高的敏捷性以及更小的质量、体积和成本，显著改变了航天器定向控制的传统概念。这些优势为新的科学和商业机会打开了大门。该项目满足了未来空间观测站和商业航天器的苛刻需求，这些需求需要高灵活性系统，而现有的姿态控制解决方案目前无法实现这一要求。此外，该系统作为一种更实惠的三轴控制选项，将增加低预算任务进入太空的机会，使空间探索比以往任何时候都更容易。按照设想，该系统的应用将推动在卫星对卫星通信等部门取得进展，为全球数字连接倡议增添动力。这一STTR第一阶段项目旨在开发一种多功能姿态控制结构(MSAC)系统，并提高其效率和可靠性，推动其实现飞行演示准备。该项目解决了系统疲劳强度及其与恶劣空间环境的兼容性方面的现有挑战，这些因素对其商业成功和预期应用的耐用性至关重要。该项目的目标是利用实验室规模的测试和原型的见解，设计一个能够飞行的系统。它还寻求同时改进系统的机械和电气设计，以提高效率和可靠性标准。通过这种研究方法，该团队预计将更好地理解并最终缓解潜在的故障模式，为实现坚固的、可用于太空的原型铺平道路。这一努力的预期技术成果有可能给航天器姿态控制市场带来革命性的变化。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。