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![[Three T-POD v1.7 units being tested on the lab bench]](tpod2-20051107.jpg) | | Three T-POD v1.7 units being tested on the lab bench. |
Toronto, 7 November 2005 – The UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory celebrates the success of its custom nanosatellite ejection system, the “T-POD v1.7”, that was used to deploy three 10-cm CubeSats from the SSETI Express microsatellite. SSETI Express, an educational satellite built by over 100 students across Europe under the mentoring of the European Space Agency, was launched on 27 October 2005 aboard a Kosmos 3M rocket from Plesetsk, Russia.
The T-POD v1.7 is based upon a separation system developed by the University of Tokyo that was used to successfully deploy the XI-IV picosatellite in June 2003. The new T-POD developed by UTIAS/SFL in collaboration with the University of Tokyo, included an upgrade to the electronics design, an improved separation mechanism, and lower friction ejection rails. The T-POD v1.7 was tested thoroughly at UTIAS/SFL, ESTEC and the launch site prior to launch.
About one hour after the launch of SSETI Express, the three T-PODs carrying XI-V (University of Tokyo), NCUBE-2 (Andoya Rocket Range), and UWE-1 (University of Wuerzburg) were commanded to deploy. To date, both XI-V and UWE-1 report successful contact and operations, confirming the successful operation of the T-POD v1.7. “We’re very happy with the results, and we extend sincere congratulations to the XI-V and UWE-1 teams,” says Freddy Pranajaya, Manager, Advanced Systems. “We enjoyed working with the SSETI Express team and the three CubeSat developers in a program that was great for education and demonstrated successful collaboration among various nations.”
![[T-POD intergrated into SSETI Express]](tpod1-20051107.jpg) | | T-POD integrated into SSETI Express. |
One factor contributing to the success of the T-POD was the guiding philosophy behind its development. “Our prior experience with nanosatellites has led us to consider using one ejection system per satellite to mitigate risk and avoid potential ejection problems related to satellite-to-satellite interference that may result from deployables, for example,” says Dr. Robert Zee, Managing Director, UTIAS/SFL. “This is especially important in order to ensure that the successful ejection and commissioning of one satellite does not depend upon the ejection and commissioning of another satellite.”
For the future, Pranajaya and Zee say that further improvements will include telemetry signals to confirm successful deployment and possibly a move away from enclosures in favor of designs that leave the satellite exposed but attached only on one side. “These improvements will further mitigate risk by providing immediate feedback and reducing the risk of jamming due to the premature activation of deployables. The changes will also allow us to accommodate fixed appendages and perhaps eliminate the need for deployables altogether,” says Zee.
UTIAS/SFL plans to use its ejection system technology to deploy several
nanosatellites in the future, including CanX-2 (2006) and CanX-4 and
CanX-5 (2008). CanX-2, CanX-4 and CanX-5 are part of a program to
demonstrate formation flying in space using nanosatellites. The
program is funded by Defence Research and Development Canada (Ottawa),
NSERC, CRESTech (now ETech), MDA, Dynacon Inc. and the Canadian Space
Agency.
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