ODAR

1288-EX-ST-2015 Text Documents

Cornell University

2016-01-07ELS_171109

ELVL-2015-0044145
September 28, 2015




                     Orbital Debris Assessment for
                          KickSat-2 Mission
                      per NASA-STD 8719.14A




                                                     1


                       Signature Page




               Loe Ts
         Justin/Areptow, Analyst, NASA KSC VA—H1


               Actbay
   Scott Higginbotham, Miséfon Manager, NASA KSC VA—C


     Jason Crusan, Program Executive, NASA HQ SOMD




Suzanne Aleman, NASA HQ OSMA MMOD Program Executive




        Signatures Required for Final Version of ODAR




Terrence W. Wilcutt, NASA Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance




             William Gerstenmaier, NASA AA,
    Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.


                    National Aeronautics and
                    Space Administration

                    John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida
                    Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

                                                                                                      ELVL-2015-0044145

Reply to Attn of:   VA-H1                                                                               September 28, 2015

                    TO:             Scott Higginbotham, LSP Mission Manager, NASA/KSC/VA-C

                    FROM:           Justin Treptow, NASA/KSC/VA-H1

                    SUBJECT:        Orbital Debris Assessment Report (ODAR) for the KickSat-2 Mission

                    FEERENCES:

                        A. NASA Procedural Requirements for Limiting Orbital Debris Generation, NPR
                           8715.6A, 5 February 2008
                        B. Process for Limiting Orbital Debris, NASA-STD-8719.14A, 25 May 2012
                        C. Email, “FW: ISS Orbital Parameters” Scott Higginbotham to Justin Treptow,
                           March 7, 2014
                        D. Kwas, Robert. Thermal Analysis of ELaNa-4 CubeSat Batteries, ELVL-2012-
                           0043254; Nov 2012
                        E. Range Safety User Requirements Manual Volume 3- Launch Vehicles, Payloads,
                           and Ground Support Systems Requirements, AFSCM 91-710 V3.
                        F. HQ OSMA Policy Memo/Email to 8719.14: CubeSat Battery Non-Passivation,
                           Suzanne Aleman to Justin Treptow, 10, March 2014
                        G. Email, “RE: KickSat-2” Jer-Chyi Liou to Scott Higginbotham, August 3, 2015




                    The intent of this report is to satisfy the orbital debris requirements listed in ref. (a) for
                    the KickSat-2 mission. Sections 1 through 8 of ref. (b) are addressed in this document;
                    sections 9 through 14 are not applicable and are not presented here.




                                                                                                                     3


The following table summarizes the compliance status of the KickSat-2 auxiliary payload
mission flown on the OA-6, inside the Orbital Sciences Cygnus vehicle. The KickSat-2
CubeSat is fully compliant with all applicable requirements.


            Table 1: Orbital Debris Requirement Compliance Matrix
Requirement                Compliance Assessment     Comments
4.3-1a                     Compliant                 Sprites will have lifetime of
                                                     2-6 days
4.3-1b                     Compliant                 Object-time product is < 2.5
                                                     years
4.3-2                      Not applicable            No planned debris release
4.4-1                      Compliant                 Minimal risk to orbital
                                                     environment, mitigated by
                                                     orbital lifetime.
4.4-2                      Compliant                 Minimal risk to orbital
                                                     environment, mitigated by
                                                     orbital lifetime.
4.4-3                      Not applicable            No planned breakups
4.4-4                      Not applicable            No planned breakups
4.5-1                      Compliant
4.5-2                      Not applicable
4.6-1(a)                   Compliant                 Worst case lifetime 0.8 yrs
4.6-1(b)                   Not applicable
4.6-1(c)                   Not applicable
4.6-2                      Not applicable
4.6-3                      Not applicable
4.6-4                      Not applicable            Passive disposal
4.6-5                      Compliant
4.7-1                      Compliant                 Non-credible risk of human
                                                     casualty
4.8-1                      Compliant                 No planned tether release




                                                                                      4


 Section 1: Program Management and Mission Overview

 The KickSat-2 mission is sponsored by the Space Operations Mission Directorate at
 NASA Headquarters. The Program Executive is Jason Crusan. Responsible
 program/project manager and senior scientific and management personnel are as follows:

 KickSat-2: Zack Manchester, Principle Investigator;




                 Program Milestone Schedule
                          Task                                Date
                    CubeSat Selection                        6/22/2015
             CubeSat Delivery to NanoRacks                    12/8/15
            CubeSat Integration into NanoRacks
                                                              12/9/15
              CubeSat Dispenser (NRCSD)
                         Launch                               3/10/16

                        Figure 1: Program Milestone Schedule


 The KickSat-2 mission will be launched as a payload of the Cygnus resupply vehicle on
 the OA-6 mission on an Atlas V launch vehicle from CCAFS, Fl. The CubeSat slotted
 position is identified in Table 2: KickSat CubeSats and in the Appendix. The current
 launch date is in 3/10/2016. KickSat-2 will be deployed from a NRCSD dispenser from
 the ISS, placing the CubeSats in an orbit approximately 410 X 400 km at inclination of
 51.6 deg (ref. (c)).

 KickSat-2 is in a 3U form factor of 10 cm x 10cm x 30 cm, with mass of 2.256kg.


 Section 2: Spacecraft Description

 The primary CubeSat will be deployed out of an individual dispenser, as shown in Table
 2: KickSat CubeSats below.

                              Table 2: KickSat CubeSats

Dispenser   CubeSat                                            CubeSat         CubeSat
                                   CubeSat size
   Slot     Quantity                                            Names         Masses (kg)
    A          1           3U (10 cm X 10 cm X 30 cm)          KickSat-2        2.256




                                                                                          5


KickSat-2 CubeSat Description
Cornell University – 3U




                          Figure 2: KickSat-2 Expanded View
KickSat-2 is a technology demonstration mission for the Sprite centimeter-scale
“ChipSat” developed at Cornell University. The Sprite is a 3.5-by-3.5 centimeter printed
circuit board spacecraft that is capable of collecting and processing sensor measurements
and communicating directly with ground stations. KickSat-2 is designed to deploy 100
Sprites in low-Earth orbit. The primary mission objective is to demonstrate the Sprite’s
CDMA communication architecture.

Upon deployment from the PPOD, KickSat-2 will power up and start a countdown timer.
After 45 minutes, a dipole antenna will be deployed and a UHF beacon will be activated.
An onboard GPS receiver will be used to perform orbit determination. Once the
spacecraft’s orbital altitude has decayed to 325 km, Sprite deployment will be triggered
by a command from Cornell’s ground station.

The primary CubeSat structure is made of 5052-H32 aluminum. The majority of its
internal components are made of 6061 aluminum, ABS plastic, and FR4 printed circuit
boards. There are few steel components (fasteners, deployment spring). There are no
pressure vessels, hazardous or exotic materials. The electrical power storage system
consists of common lithium-ion batteries with over-charge/current protection circuitry.
The lithium batteries carry the UL-listing number MH19896.



                                                                                          6


Figure 3: 3U CubeSat Specification




                                     7


Section 3: Assessment of Spacecraft Debris Released during Normal Operations

The assessment of spacecraft debris requires the identification of any object (>1 mm)
expected to be released from the spacecraft any time after launch, including object
dimensions, mass, and material.

The section 3 requires rationale/necessity for release of each object, time of release of
each object, relative to launch time, release velocity of each object with respect to
spacecraft, expected orbital parameters (apogee, perigee, and inclination) of each object
after release, calculated orbital lifetime of each object, including time spent in Low Earth
Orbit (LEO), and an assessment of spacecraft compliance with Requirements 4.3-1 and
4.3-2.

KickSat-2 will be releasing 100 “Sprites” as part of its primary mission to provide a
technology demonstration for the use of CDMA communications across multiple vehicles
to one ground station.

After being deployed from the ISS, KickSat-2 will wait 45 minutes before deploying its
primary antenna and activating its radio beacon. The spacecraft will then calculate its
orbital position and velocity and set its real-time clock using the onboard GPS receiver. It
is expected that contact will be established with either Cornell’s ground station or partner
ground stations within the spacecraft’s first few orbits.

After performing checkout operations, the spacecraft will be put into a power-safe mode
with its radio beacon transmitting at regular intervals. Orbital elements will be
propagated by the flight computer and updated using the onboard GPS receiver once per
day. KickSat’s orbit will be allowed to decay until an altitude of 325 km is reached.
Simulations, performed by the project, indicate that this will take several months given
the current altitude of the ISS.

Once the target altitude of 325 km has been reached, the Sprites will be deployed. The
Sprite deployer contains 100 Sprites stacked 2-by-2 in four columns. Each Sprite is
housed in an individual slot and constrained by a carbon fiber rod that runs the length of
each column and passes through a hole in the corner of the Sprites. The nitinol wire
antennas on the Sprites are coiled in such a way that they act as springs, pushing the
Sprites out of their slots. When the carbon fiber rod is removed, the Sprites’ antennas will
push them from the deployer housing with an estimated ΔV of 5-10 cm/sec.


The Sprites are expected to have an orbital lifetime of approximately 5 days before
reentry under typical atmospheric conditions. Bounding test cases with extremely high
and extremely low atmospheric density give a range of orbital lifetimes between
approximately 2 and 14 days (Figure 4). DAS simulations reflect this sprite orbital
lifetime.




                                                                                           8


                Figure 4: KickSat-2 Provided Sprite Orbital Lifetime


The short orbital lifetime of the Sprites satisfies the Requirements 4.3-1. Total object-
time of the 100 sprites (worst-case 6 day orbit lifetime) and KickSat-2 deployed structure
(0.7 years) is summed to be 2.34 years, which satisfies the Requirement 4.3-2.

The release of the Sprite’s from KickSat-2 has been pre-coordinated with the NASA
Orbital Debris Planning Office.

J.C. Liou replied to a question by Scott Higginbotham (ELaNa Mission Manager) on
August 3, 2015:

       “For KickSat-2, releasing 100 Sprites from 325 km altitude has no long-term
       negative impact to the environment. The ODPO is fine with the plan.”
       (ref (g))
.




                                                                                        9


Section 4: Assessment of Spacecraft Intentional Breakups and Potential for
Explosions.

There are NO plans for designed spacecraft breakups, explosions, or intentional
collisions on the KickSat-2 mission. No passivation of components is planned at the End
of Mission for the CubeSats on this mission.

The probability of battery explosion is very low, and, due to the very small mass of the
satellites and their short orbital lifetimes the effect of an explosion on the far-term LEO
environment is negligible (ref (f)).

The CubeSats batteries still meet Req. 56450 (4.4-2) by virtue of the HQ OSMA policy
regarding CubeSat battery disconnect stating;

       “CubeSats as a satellite class need not disconnect their batteries if flown in LEO
       with orbital lifetimes less than 25 years.” (ref. (f))

Assessment of spacecraft compliance with Requirements 4.4-1 through 4.4-4 shows that
with a lifetime of 0.8 years maximum the KickSat-2 is compliant.




                                                                                              10


Section 5: Assessment of Spacecraft Potential for On-Orbit Collisions

 Calculation of spacecraft probability of collision with space objects larger than 10 cm in
diameter during the orbital lifetime of the spacecraft takes into account both the mean
cross sectional area and orbital lifetime.

                          ∑ π‘ͺπ‘ͺ𝑺𝑺𝑺𝑺𝑺𝑺𝑴𝑴𝑺𝑺𝑴𝑴 π‘ͺπ‘ͺ𝑺𝑺𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 [𝟐𝟐 ∗ (π’˜π’˜ ∗ 𝒍𝒍) + πŸ’πŸ’ ∗ (π’˜π’˜ ∗ 𝒉𝒉)]
            𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 π‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺ =                      =
                                     πŸ’πŸ’                             πŸ’πŸ’
             Equation 1: Mean Cross Sectional Area for Convex Objects


                                       (π‘ͺπ‘ͺπ’Žπ’Žπ‘΄π‘΄π’Žπ’Ž + π‘ͺπ‘ͺ𝟏𝟏 + π‘ͺπ‘ͺ𝟏𝟏 )
                                𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 π‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺπ‘ͺ =
                                                  𝟐𝟐
            Equation 2: Mean Cross Sectional Area for Complex Objects
KickSat-2 is evaluated for this ODAR, stowed in a convex configuration, indicating there
are no elements of the CubeSats obscuring another element of the same CubeSats from
view. Thus, mean CSA for all stowed CubeSats was calculated using Equation 1. This
configuration renders the longest orbital life times for all CubeSats.

Once a CubeSat has been ejected from the P-POD and deployables have been extended
Equation 2 is utilized to determine the mean CSA. Amax is identified as the view that
yields the maximum cross-sectional area. A1 and A2 are the two cross-sectional areas
orthogonal to Amax. Refer to Appendix A for dimensions used in these calculations

 KickSat-2 orbit at deployment is 400 km perigee altitude by 4106 km apogee altitude,
with an inclination of 51.6 degrees. With an area to mass (2.256 kg) ratio of 0.0.0166
m2/kg, DAS yields 0.8 years for orbit lifetime for its stowed state, which in turn is used to
obtain the collision probability. KickSat-2 sees less than 0x10^-5 probability of collision.
Table 4 below provides complete results, a Sprite has been included for comparison.




                                                                                          11


   Table 3: CubeSat Orbital Lifetime & Collision Probability
                                                           KickSat-2             Sprite*
                        Mass (kg)                           2.2562               0.0051
              Mean C/S Area (m^2)                           0.0375                 n/a
Stowed




             Area-to Mass (m^2/kg)                          0.0166                 n/a
              Orbital Lifetime (yrs)                          0.8                  n/a
           Probability of collision (1:X)                   0.00000                n/a
              Mean C/S Area (m^2)                           0.0409             0.00067375
Deployed


             Area-to Mass (m^2/kg)                          0.0181             0.132107843
              Orbital Lifetime (yrs)                          0.7                ~2-4 days
           Probability of collision (1:X)                   0.00000               0.00000
           * Sprite is being deployed from KickSat-2 at 325km circular orbit
                                                                                             12


         Figure 5: Orbit Collision vs. Altitude (KickSat-2 Failure to Deploy)

 There will be no post-mission disposal operation. As such the identification of all
systems and components required to accomplish post-mission disposal operation,
including passivation and maneuvering, is not applicable.

The probability of the KickSat-2 spacecraft collision with debris and meteoroids greater
than 10 cm in diameter and capable of preventing post-mission disposal has been
calculated to be less than 0x10^-5 probability of collision, for any configuration. This
satisfies the 0.001 maximum probability requirement 4.5-1.

Since the CubeSats have no capability or plan for end-of-mission disposal, requirement
4.5-2 is not applicable.

Assessment of spacecraft compliance with Requirements 4.5-1 shows KickSat-2 to be
compliant. Requirement 4.5-2 is not applicable to this mission.




                                                                                         13


Section 6: Assessment of Spacecraft Postmission Disposal Plans and Procedures

The KickSat-2 spacecraft will naturally decay from orbit within 0.8 years after being
deployed, satisfying requirement 4.6-1a detailing the spacecraft disposal option.

Planning for spacecraft maneuvers to accomplish postmission disposal is not applicable.
Disposal is achieved via passive atmospheric reentry.

Calculating the area-to-mass ratio for the worst-case (smallest Area-to-Mass) post-
mission disposal of KickSat-2, in its stowed configuration as the worst case. The area-to-
mass is calculated for is as follows:

                  𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 π‘ͺπ‘ͺοΏ½π‘ͺπ‘ͺ π‘ͺπ‘ͺ𝑺𝑺𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 (π’Žπ’ŽπŸπŸ )                               π’Žπ’ŽπŸπŸ
                                                  = π‘ͺπ‘ͺ𝑺𝑺𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 − 𝒕𝒕𝒕𝒕 − 𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 ( )
                         𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴𝑴 (π’Œπ’Œπ’Œπ’Œ)                                        π’Œπ’Œπ’Œπ’Œ


                                  Equation 3: Area to Mass


                                   0.0375 π‘šπ‘š2          π‘šπ‘š2
                                              = 0.0166
                                    2.26 π‘˜π‘˜π‘˜π‘˜          π‘˜π‘˜π‘˜π‘˜

KickSat-2 results in the worst case orbital lifetime of 0.8 years. The assessment of the
spacecraft illustrates they are compliant with Requirements 4.6-1 through 4.6-5.

DAS 2.0.2 Orbital Lifetime Calculations:

DAS inputs are: 400 km maximum perigee 410 km maximum apogee altitudes with an
inclination of 51.6 degrees at deployment from the ISS after March of 2016. The area to
mass ratio of 0.0166 m2/kg was imputed for the KickSat-2. DAS 2.0.2 yields a 0.8 years
of orbit lifetime of KickSat-2 in its stowed/ non-deployed state.

This meets requirement 4.6-1. For the complete list of CubeSat orbital lifetimes reference
Table 3: CubeSat Orbital Lifetime & Collision Probability.

Assessment results show compliance.




                                                                                           14


Section 7: Assessment of Spacecraft Reentry Hazards

A detailed assessment of the components to be flown on KickSat-2 was performed. The
assessment used DAS 2.0, a conservative tool used by the NASA Orbital Debris Office to
verify Requirement 4.7-1. The analysis is intended to provide a bounding analysis for
characterizing the survivability of a CubeSat’s component during re-entry. For example,
when DAS shows a component surviving reentry it is not taking into account the material
ablating away or charring due to oxidative heating. Both physical effects are experienced
upon reentry and will decrease the mass and size of the real-life components as the
reenter the atmosphere, reducing the risk they pose still further.

The following steps are used to identify and evaluate a components potential reentry risk
relative to the 4.7-1 requirement, where the risk to human casualty shall not exceed
1:10,000. There is not enough energy to cause a human casualty if the surviving reentry
component has less than 15J.

             1. Low melting temperature (less than 1000 °C) components are identified as
                materials that would not survive reentry and pose no risk to human
                casualty. This is confirmed through DAS analysis that showed materials
                with melting temperatures equal to or below that of copper (1080 °C) will
                always demise upon reentry for any size component up to the dimensions
                of a 1U CubeSat.

             2. The remaining high temperature materials are shown to pose negligible
                risk to human casualty through a bounding DAS analysis of the highest
                temperature components, stainless steel (1500°C). If a component is of
                similar dimensions and has a melting temperature between 1000 °C and
                1500°C, it can be expected to posses the same negligible risk as stainless
                steel components. See Table 4.

                    Table 4: KickSat-2 High Temperature DAS Analysis
                                                 Length /
               KickSat-2 High                               Width   Height   Demise Alt
  CubeSat                             Mass (g)   Diameter                                 KE (J)   Probability
              Temp Components                               (mm)    (mm)       (km)
                                                  (mm)
 KickSat-2      Threaded Rods           14          3         3      320        76          0          0
 KickSat-2   Sprite Deployer Spring     22.9       63        63      199         0         0.51        0
 KickSat-2         Antenna              2.1        12.7      170     0.15        0         0.84        0
 KickSat-2         Fasteners             3          -         -       -         74.8        0          0


The majority of high temperature components demise upon reentry. The components that
survive re-entry show < 1J of energy on impact. From the Debris Casualty Area and the
deployment orbit, the probability of human casualty is calculated by DAS results in a 0
probability, satisfying the requirement (1/10,000).

Through the method described above, Table 4: KickSat-2 High Temperature DAS
Analysis, and the full component lists in the Appendix the KickSat-2 mission
components are conservatively shown to be in compliance with Requirement 4.7-1 of
NASA-STD-8719.14A.


                                                                                                     15


Section 8: Assessment for Tether Missions

KickSat-2 will not be deploying any tethers.

KickSat-2 satisfy, Section 8’s requirement 4.8-1.




                                                    16


Section 9-14

ODAR sections 9 through 14 for the launch vehicle and are not covered here.

If you have any questions, please contact the undersigned at 321-867-2958.

/original signed by/

Justin Treptow
Flight Design Analyst
NASA/KSC/VA-H1

cc:   VA-H/Mr. Carney
       VA-H1/Mr. Beaver
       VA-H1/Mr. Haddox
       VA-C/Mr. Higginbotham
       VA-G2/Mr. Poffenberger
       SA-D2/Mr. Hale
       SA-D2/Mr. Hidalgo
       SA-D2/Mr. Hibshman
       AIS-22/Ms. Nighswonger




                                                                              17


                          Appendix Index:

Appendix A.   KickSat-2 Component List




                                            18


    Appendix A.               KickSat-2 Component List
                                  External/Internal
                                                                           Body                  Diameter/   Length   Height      Low        Melting Temp
           Name                    (Major/Minor       QTY    Material                Mass (g)                                                                     Comment
                                                                           Type                 Width (mm)    (mm)    (mm)     Temperature       (°C)
                                   Components)
      CubeSat Name                    KickSat          -         -           -          -           -          -        -           -             -           Demise on reentry
                                                            Aluminum
     CubeSat Structure            External - Major     1                    Box       477.3        100        100     340.5        yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                            5052-H32
                                                                                                                                                            Demise on reentry, see
       Threded Rods               Internal - Major     4       Steel      Cylinder     14           3          3       320         no           1500
                                                                                                                                                                  Table 4
  Sprite Deployer Housing         Internal - Major     1    ABS Plastic     Box       206.5        96         96       201         yes            -           Demise on reentry
   Sprite Deployer Pusher         Internal - Major     1    ABS Plastic     Box        59          102        102      15          yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                                                                                                                            Survives reentry with
   Sprite Deployer Spring         Internal - Major     1       Steel      Cylinder     22.9        63         63       199         no           1500
                                                                                                                                                               0J, see Table 4
                                                                           Flat
       Sprite ChipSat             Internal - Major    100    FR4 PCB                   5.1         35         35       1.75        yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                                           Plate
                                                                           Flat                                                                             Survives reentry with
          Antenna                 External - Major     2       Steel                   2.1         12.7       170      0.15        no           1500
                                                                           Plate                                                                               0J, see Table 4
       GPS Antenna                External - Minor     2    Aluminum        Box        18.2        27         27       9.3         yes            -           Demise on reentry
        RF Divider                Internal - Minor     1    Aluminum        Box        114         50.5       50.5     19.1        yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                             Gallium       Flat
        Solar Cells               External - Major    100                              0.26        31.8       12.9     0.15        yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                             Arsenide      Plate
 Magnetorquer/Solar Panel                                                  Flat
                                  External - Major     6     FR4 PCB                   33.9       104.8       82.6     2.5         yes            -           Demise on reentry
         Boards                                                            Plate
         Batteries                Internal - Major     8    Lithium Ion   Cylinder     46.3        19.1       19.1     61.9        yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                                           Flat
Flight Computer/Radio Board       Internal - Major     1     FR4 PCB                   46.6        80         80       2.5         yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                                           Plate
        GPS Board                 Internal - Major     1     FR4 PCB        Box        31.6        52.9       52.9     12.8        yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                               6061        Flat
       Battery Mount              Internal - Major     1                               37.9        88.5      93.25     0.65        yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                            Aluminum       Plate
                                                             Stainless                                                                                      Demise on reentry, see
         Fasteners                Internal - Minor    18                  Cylinder      3                                          no           1450
                                                               Steel                                                                                              Table 4
                                                              Copper
          Cabling                 Internal - Minor                           -         18.7         -          -        -          yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                              Alloy
  Loctite 222 Threadlocker        Internal - Minor     1      Acrylic        -          -           -          -        -          yes            -           Demise on reentry
                                                                                                                                                                              19



Document Created: 1770-04-24 00:00:00
Document Modified: 1770-04-24 00:00:00

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