Group Discussion Topics for the 4th UNISEC-Global Meeting

1. The role of small satellite in the future of Earth Observation (EO) missions
2. Water Quality Management with Micro/Nano Satellites
3. CanSat Education - how to organize CanSat Leader Training Program
4. Innovative Science Produced by Nano-Satellite Observation (TBD)
5. Collaborators meeting for new ground station network experiment
6. International University Rocket Competition
7. In-orbit satellite servicing missions with Cubesats/Nanosats
8. Requirements for attitude determination and control system of universities satellites
9. Impact of Cosmic rays and Space weather on satellites and onboard equipment
10. Standardization Approaches of Efficient Electrical Interfaces for CubeSats

Group 1
The role of small satellite in the future of Earth Observation (EO) missions

Moderator: Alice Pellegrino, Sapienza - University of Rome, Italy
Assistant: Bogdan Konstantinov, Technical University of Sofia

Introduction / Final presentation

The growing interest, studies and missions regarding small satellites showed their capability of saving money and time in space missions. The combination of standards, rapid development and low costs for development and launches makes small satellites more suitable for new applications with respect to larger spacecrafts, changing the landscape of space exploration. In fact, more and more studies are current on-going in order to verify their compatibility with different kind of missions by encouraging new studies and the development of new technologies. Several nanosatellites with EO payload launched in recent years have already improved low-cost environmental monitoring as track natural disasters with a resolution of few meters and daily revisit capability, but what about the future?
In this session, participants from each country are asked to share their opinion, experience and knowledge about small satellites designed for applications in the Earth Observation field for consequently discussing the role and their impact on future EO missions.

Group 2
Water Quality Management with Micro/Nano Satellites

Moderator: Shinichi Nakasuka, the University of Tokyo, Japan
Assistant: Ivan Mihov, Sofia University

Introduction / Final presentation

One of Micro/nano-satellites' important capabilities is to collect ground sensors' information using RF when the satellites fly over the areas where such sensors are located. Such satellites should implement receivers which can receive very weak signal from ground. This mission is called "Store and Forward (S&F)," "data collection," or "M to M," and can be considered a promising application of micro/nano-satellite. S&F satellites are not new; "ARGOS" or "ORBCOMM" are examples and within universities' community, some are already launched or planned like Japanese "Hodoyoshi-3 & 4" (launched in 2014), TriCOM-1 to be launched in Dec 2016 and so on.
What kind of sensor date should be uplinked from the ground? We recognized that "water quality" information is very valuable and essential for many countries. Therefore, in this WG, we will discuss the feasibility of using S&F satellite to monitor water quality all over the world, and if we find it feasible, will start a kind of international collaborations towards establishment of a network of many S&F satellites.
The discussion will start with possible example design of such satellites and constellation design to achieve high time resolution. Then hopefully we can discuss how the international collaborations would be really possible, considering various factors like finance, launch opportunity, skills, license, debris mitigation problem, etc.

Group 3
CanSat Education - how to organize CanSat Leader Training Program

Moderator: Mohammed Khalil Ibrahim, Nihon University, Japan (Cairo University, Egypt) and Tomohiro Takanashi, Hokkaido University, Japan
Assistant: Boyana Bantutova, Sofia University

Introduction / Final presentation

The discussion group about CanSat hands-on education was conducted during the previous UNISEC-Global meetings. In the coming meeting, 4th UNISEC-Global meeting, the discussion group will summarize what had been discussed and what have been achieved since the last meeting during the 3rd UNISEC Global meeting. The group will discuss how to organize CanSat Leader Training Program (CLTP). The discussion will include presentation of the existing similar programs in the world. The case of the Japanese CLTP will be presented and discussed in details. The discussion will address the concerns related to the considerable simplicity of CanSat compared to real micro/nano satellites. CanSat curriculum addressed these concerns will be proposed and discussed. The group also will discuss how to promote CanSat-hands on education and meet the challenges faced by different nations and individuals seeking to acquire basic knowledge in space engineering science and technology.

Group 4
Innovative Science Produced by Nano-Satellite Observation (TBD)

Moderator: Masashi Kamogawa, Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan
Assistant: Mariana Bogdanova, Sofia University

Introduction / Final presentation

Recent subsequent success of micro-/nano-/pico-satellite launch and operation accelerates low-cost satellite scientific monitoring as well as satellite constellation, which contributes to detailed spatio-temporal measurement from the space to the Earth. Present science conducted by the measurements of ground-based network and single large satellite equipped with various instruments is expected to be improved by such a small satellite constellation monitoring. In particular, space-based scientific data using satellite constellation would drastically facilitate disaster mitigation science such as earthquake and global warming, which are still very serious for human being and are unsolved issue. In this group, the feasibility of various innovative science promoted by the micro-/nano-/pico-satellite constellation is discussed.

Group 5
Collaborators meeting for new ground station network experiment

Moderator: Naomi Kurahara, Infosteller. Inc, Japan
Assistant: Radostina Chausheva, University of National and World Economy

Introduction / Final presentation

A new collaboration group is currently formed to participate in an experiment to test new ground station (GS) network. The first experiment will start in the end of November, 2016. In this discussion, we will talk about 1) current situation of each ground station (GS), 2) detailed plan of the experiment, and 3) feedback and discussion. Anybody interested in this project are welcomed to join the discussion although participants in the experiment should have their own UHF or S-band antenna. 1MHz band width receiver will be provided for UHF/S-band ground station.

Group 6
International University Rocket Competition

Moderator: Kyohei Yashima, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Assistant: Simeon Ivanov, Sofia University

Introduction / Final presentation

There are many students’ rocket teams and consortiums all over the world. They compete their skills at internal completion in each countries or nations for past few decades. However there are no opportunities to compete technologies with foreign students all over the world. Why don’t we produce a chance to exchange with world rocketeers? If there are chance to exchange skills or systems with foreign rocketeers, it will be helpful and inspirable opportunity for all rocketeers. Why don’t we hold the international rockets competition by ourselves? Indeed, every team has different situations for instance height and thrust power limitation, so it will be unfair game if the result are judged by only attained height. According to these problems, it is planed that the rules should be concerned the competitiveness and situations of each teams. Also it should not be based on just only the attained height but also uniqueness, novelty and other points. The result will be judged by these various factor comprehensively. In this discussion group, participants from each country discuss about the outline of the international rockets competition and construct basic guideline.

Group 8
Requirements for attitude determination and control system of universities satellites

Moderator: Dmytro Faizullin, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan (Ukraine)
Assistant: Stoil Ivanov, Sofia University

Introduction / Final presentation

Universities satellites are usually pico-, nano- and micro-satellites. Weight, cost and design time are key parameters for their development. Attitude determination and control system can be designed in different ways, which are dependent on satellite payloads. During the working group, discussion will be about categorizing universities satellite missions, requirements for ADCS (accuracy of sensors and controlling mechanism, stabilization time with the use of passive control system, flexibility of the system for onboard reprogramming and sensor calibration). To be discussed also are: the place for self-developed ADCS for such kind of projects, the possible role of UNISEC and its network for increasing efficiency of university satellite design for example ADCS subsystem. Everyone interested in ADCS, mission planning and development of UNISEC network is welcome.

Group 9
Impact of Cosmic rays and Space weather on satellites and onboard equipment

Moderator: Yavor Shopov, University Center for Space Research and Technologies, University of Sofia, Bulgaria
Assistant: Manol Avramov, Sofia Universtiy

Introduction / Final presentation

The impact of Cosmic rays and Space weather on satellites and onboard equipment is of great importance for the length of life (operation) of satellites in orbit. It is the main reason for the end of the communication of satellites with their ground stations and for the failures of operation of different pieces of the onboard equipment. In the end it is the main reason for the creation of the space debris (consisting of old not operating satellites and their components). Space debris is of growing concern for Space Situation Awareness (SSA) due to the rapidly increasing amount of space garbage causing collisions and damage of working satellites on orbit. The growing interest, studies and measures (like Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) segment and Space Weather (SWE) segment of ESA Programme on Space Situation Awareness) regarding Space debris showed their capability of saving satellites and money in space missions. In fact, more and more studies are currently on-going in order to estimate more precisely the impact of Cosmic rays and Space weather on satellites and onboard equipment and to try to predict the probability of fatal damage of the apparatus due to this impact. It is not an easy task, because high energy cosmic rays particles are extremely rare, but produce severe damage of any equipment they collide with.
In this session, participants from each country are asked to share their opinion, experience and knowledge about the impact of Cosmic rays and Space weather on satellites and onboard equipment for consequently discussing the role and their impact on future space missions.

Group 10
Standardization Approaches of Efficient Electrical Interfaces for CubeSats

Moderator: Stephan Busch, Zentrum für Telematik, Würzburg, Germany
Assistant: Petar Todorov, Sofia University

Introduction / Final presentation

The success of CubeSats was based on standardization of geometric dimensions, allowing joint use of launcher adaptors. An important next step in order to be able to exchange boards between Universities at subsystem level would be a specification and standardization of the electrical interfaces. There have been attempts in this direction, nevertheless the sometimes used PC/104 approach is often not very suitable and efficient for the pico-satellite context in education. A standardized electrical interface for generic pico-satellites was promoted by UNISEC Europe and was implemented in the UWE-3 mission, which accumulates excellent in-orbit experiences since November 2013. In order to contribute to a common electrical interface standard for miniature satellites, related aspects are discussed in this contribution. In this group, participants will be asked comments for future refinements.

4th UNISEC-Global Meeting