What's new

NTU Singapore Deploys Its Ninth Satellite Into Space Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at: htt

Senang Diri

FULL MEMBER

New Recruit

Joined
Apr 9, 2018
Messages
96
Reaction score
-4
Country
Singapore
Location
France
https://www.asianscientist.com/2019/01/in-the-lab/ntu-singapore-satellite-aoba-velox-iv/

NTU Singapore Deploys Its Ninth Satellite Into Space

The satellite, called the AOBA VELOX-IV, is meant to test a special low-light camera and an improved quad-jet pulsed plasma thruster system in space.

woFfihy.jpg


AsianScientist (Jan. 30, 2019) – Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, has successfully launched and deployed its ninth satellite.

NTU’s first foray into space began 20 years ago. The first project was a communication payload codenamed Merlion, while the main satellite body was developed by the University of Surrey, UK. The latest satellite, called the AOBA VELOX-IV cube satellite, was built by a team led by Mr. Lim Wee Seng, executive director of NTU’s Satellite Research Centre, while its new altitude determination and control algorithm was developed by Professor Cho Mengu’s research team at the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan. It was launched from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Epsilon-4 rocket.

Equipped with two solar panels which unfold in space to form a 30 cm x 20 cm solar array, the AOBA VELOX-IV’s primary mission is to capture Earth’s horizon during sunrise and sunset, which would pave the way towards eventually capturing the lunar horizon glow, a phenomenon first observed by Apollo astronauts in the 1960s. To achieve this goal, the AOBA VELOX-IV is equipped with a superior low-light camera, an altitude control algorithm and precise reaction wheels which can rotate and orient the satellite accurately at its target.

The AOBA VELOX-IV’s secondary mission is to test an improved quad-jet pulsed plasma thruster that generates ultra-hot plasma gases by burning solid teflon fuel. It is used to precisely control the satellite’s angular momentum and rotation, which would be required when orbiting the moon in any future lunar mission.

The scientists believe that a lunar mission may be achievable within five years, using satellites weighing no more than 100 kg each, which would be lighter than any other that has made the 384,400 km journey.

“Building on NTU Singapore’s satellite engineering expertise over the last decade, our latest satellite launches demonstrate our leading-edge space capabilities. We have shrunk advanced cameras, thrusters and the electronics capability of larger satellites into something the size of a shoebox,” said Professor Lam Khin Yong, vice president (research) at NTU.

Cho added that the AOBA VELOX-IV was chosen by the JAXA for its Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program because of the commercial value of technologies to be demonstrated by AOBA VELOX-IV, which are useful not only for the lunar mission but also for other Earth-orbiting cube satellite missions.


***

Interestingly, a precursor to a lunar mission in the future, perhaps? One way or another, quad jet plasma thruster, low light camera and an improved altitude control algorithm.

Not bad.
 
.
Shoving a webcam/digi cam in a box is a Satellite?
 
. .
I don't think so.

Quad jet plasma thruster, low light camera, improved altitude control algorithms ≠ webcam.
Singapore is supposed to have one of the best education systems in the world they need to start showing it.
 
Last edited:
.
Singapore is supposed to have on of the best education systems in the world they need to start showing it.

???

What is that supposed to mean?

Where did you get webcam from in any case?

Did any of my comments or the contents from the initial message reach you?

Did you see any mention of a webcam?
 
.
What the Singapore team have produced is really a high school project , they should be able to produce something more significant, surely?
 
.
What the Singapore team have produced is really a high school project , they should be able to produce something more significant, surely?

Clearly you are trolling and don't know what you are talking about.

Did you happen to read the contents? Did your high school test quad jet plasma thruster, for a start? Tell us more about this futuristic high school of yours.

Did your "brother" country do so? Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia? Or any of your other "brothers"?
 
.
Clearly you are trolling and don't know what you are talking about.

Did you happen to read the contents? Did your high school test quad jet plasma thruster, for a start? Tell us more about this futuristic high school of yours.

Did your "brother" country do so? Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia? Or any of your other "brothers"?

This technology was first used in 1964:-
The power source can be any source of electrical power. Solar cells are generally used, since the thruster operates at low power levels. The PPU converts the spacecraft power to charge the PPT energy storage unit. The energy storage unit provides high-current pulses through the thruster to perform work.
 
.
This technology was first used in 1964:-
The power source can be any source of electrical power. Solar cells are generally used, since the thruster operates at low power levels. The PPU converts the spacecraft power to charge the PPT energy storage unit. The energy storage unit provides high-current pulses through the thruster to perform work.


Clearly you don't know anything about satellite technologies. My guess is you just copied whatever you could google/search at the earliest on this topic.

In 1964, it was a superpower which first tried plasma thrusters. For space probes to Moon and Mars. Only used for solar panel orientation. The entire spacecraft had a mass of 925 kg.

Miniaturizing Pulsed Plasma Thrusters has only been possible recently. And in this case, the entire satellite has been miniaturized to a mass of 2.85 kg ! The PPT is used for attitude and orbit control.

With Dimensions of only

112 mm x 112 mm x 227 mm (stowed)
474 mm x 112 mm x 227mm (deployed)
 
.

Pakistan Affairs Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom