Les débris spatiaux sont devenus une menace considérable pour la viabilité des satellites opérationnels en orbite basse. Afin de pouvoir éviter des collisions accidentelles, des systèmes de surveillance de l'espace existent mais sont limités en performances de détection pour les objets de petite taille (diamètre inférieur à 10cm), ce qui pousse à l'étude de nouvelles solutions. Cette thèse a pour objectif d'appuyer la faisabilité d'un système radar au sol utilisant un champ de veille étroit pour le catalogage de petits débris en orbite basse. Un tel système fournirait en effet des observations dites « isolées », c'est-à-dire qu'une orbite n'est pas immédiatement déductible de chacune d'entre elles. Le grand nombre combinaisons nécessaires est alors prohibitif en termes de temps de calcul pour la résolution de ce problème de pistage. Nous proposons dans ces travaux une nouvelle méthode pour initialiser les pistes, c'est-à-dire associer des observations isolées avec une faible ambiguïté et en déduire des orbites précises. Les pistes ainsi obtenues sont combinées et filtrées grâce à un algorithme de pistage multicible que nous avons adapté aux particularités du problème. Avec un taux de couverture de plus de 80 % obtenu en temps réel sur 3 jours pour des scénarios de 500 à 800 objets en plus d'un fort taux de fausses alarmes, les performances de la méthode proposée tendent à prouver la faisabilité du système envisagé. Afin d'extrapoler les résultats obtenus à de plus fortes densités d'observations, nous proposons un modèle de complexité combinatoire calibré sur les performances de l'algorithme aux faibles densités. L'apport d'un second capteur identique est également étudié et met en évidence un point de compromis entre réactivité et complexité combinatoire, ce qui offre un degré de liberté supplémentaire dans la conception d'un tel système. / Space debris have become a significant threat to the viability of operational satellites in Low-Earth-Orbit. In order to avoid accidental collisions, space surveillance systems exist but their detection performance is limited for the small debris (less than 10cm). New solutions are then at study. This thesis aims at supporting the feasibility of a ground-based radar sensor with a narrow-fence type field of regard for the cataloging of the small space debris. Such a system would produce “isolated” observations, that is to say that an orbit is not directly available from each one of them. The large number of potential combinations is then computationally prohibitive for solving this tracking problem. In this work, we propose a new method for track initiation, i.e. associating isolated observations with little ambiguity and deduce accurate orbits. The obtained set of tracks are combined and filtered using an multitarget tracking algorithm that we have adapted to the peculiarities of the problem. With a coverage rate of more than 80% in real-time on 3 days for 500 to 800-objects scenarios in addition of a high false alarm rate, the performance of the proposed method supports the feasibility of the considered system. Aiming at extrapolating the obtained results to higher observation densities, we propose a combinatorial complexity model calibrated with the algorithm performance for low detection densities. The contribution of a second identical sensor is also assessed and reveals a possible trade-off between reactivity and combinatorial complexity, which offers an additional degree of freedom in the design of such a system.

Network connectivity is a fundamental property affecting network performance. Given the reliability of each link, network connectivity determines the probability that a message can be delivered from the source to the destination. In this thesis, we study the directed network connectivity where the message will be forwarded toward the destination hop by hop, so long as the neighbor(s) is (are) closer to the destination. Directed connectivity, closely related to directed percolation, is very complicated to calculate. The existing state-of-the-art can only calculate directed connectivity for a lattice network up-to-the size of 10 × 10. In this thesis, we devise a new approach that is simpler and more scalable and can handle general network topology and heterogeneous links. The proposed approach uses an unambiguous hop count to divide the networks into hops and gives two steps of pre-process to transform hop-count ambiguous networks into unambiguous ones, and derive the end-to-end connectivity. Then, using the Markov property to obtain the state transition probability hop by hop. Second, with tens of thousands of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites covering the Earth, LEO satellite networks can provide coverage and services that are otherwise not possible using terrestrial communication systems. The regular and dense LEO satellite constellation also provides new opportunities and challenges for network protocol design. In this thesis, we apply the directed connectivity analytical model on LEO satellite backbone networks to ensure ultra-reliable and low-latency (URLL) services using LEO networks, and propose a directed percolation routing (DPR) algorithm to lower the cost of transmission without sacrificing speed. Using Starlink constellation (with 1,584 satellites) as an example, the proposed DPR can achieve a few to tens of milliseconds latency reduction for inter-continental transmissions compared to the Internet backbone, while maintaining high reliability without link-layer retransmissions. Finally, considering the link redundancy overhead and delay/reliability tradeoff, DPR can control the size of percolation. In other words, we can choose a part of links to be active links considering the reliability and cost tradeoff. / Graduate

The objective of this project is the development of a mission analysis tool for the nanosatellite company GomSpace Sweden. Although there are many existing software, they can be quite complicated and time consuming to use. The goal of this work is to build a simple app to be used at the earliest stages of space missions in order to obtain key figures of merit quickly and easily. By comparing results, assessing the feasibility of customer needs, analysing how various parameters affect each other, it enables immediate deeper understanding of the implications of the main design decisions that are taken at the very beginning of a mission. The tool shall aid the system engineering process of determining orbit manoeuvre capability specifically for CubeSat electric propulsion systems taking into account the most relevant factors for perturbation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), i.e. atmospheric drag and Earth’s oblateness effects. The manoeuvres investigated are: orbit raising from an insert orbit to an operating orbit, orbit maintenance, deorbiting within the space debris mitigation guidelines and collision avoidance within the 12 to 24 hours that the system has to react. The manoeuvres cost is assessed in terms of Delta v requirements, propellant mass and transfer times. The tool was developed with MATLAB and packaged as a standalone Linux application. / Målet med detta examensarbete var att utveckla ett verktyg för missionsanalys för nanosatellitföretaget GomSpace Sweden. Det finns många andra mjukvaror för att nå samma mål men de är ofta komplicerade och tidskrävande. Det specifika målet var således att skapa en enkel applikation som kan användas i de tidiga stegen av utformning av rymduppdrag för att snabbt och enkelt få fram viktiga parametrar. Genom att jämföra resultat, uppskatta genomförbarheten av kundbehov och analysera hur olika parametrar påverkar varandra kan omedelbar förståelse erhållas rörande påverkan av designbeslut som tas i början av rymduppdragen. Verktyget ska stödja systemingenjörsprocessen genom att uppskatta banförflyttningskapacitet för elektriska framdrivningssystem för CubeSats och ta i beaktande de mest relevanta faktorerna gällande störningar i låg jordbana (LEO), i.e. atmosfäriskt motstånd och effekterna av Jordens form. De undersökta manövrarna är: banhöjning från injektionsbana till operationell bana, banunderhåll, bansänkning som följer riktlinjerna för rymdskrot och kollisionsundvikande inom de 12 till 24 timmar som systemet har på sig att reagera. Kostnaden för manövrarna är uppskattade genom DeltaV-krav, massan av bränslet och förflyttningstider. Verktyget utvecklades med MATLAB och paketerades som en fristående applikation i Linux.

No / On Earth, microorganisms living under intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation stress can adopt endolithic lifestyles, growing within cracks and pore spaces in rocks. Intense UV irradiation encountered by microbes leads to death and significant damage to biomolecules, which also severely diminishes the likelihood of detecting signatures of life. Here we show that porous rocks shocked by asteroid or comet impacts provide protection for phototrophs and their biomolecules during 22 months of UV radiation exposure outside the International Space Station. The UV spectrum used approximated the high-UV flux on the surface of planets lacking ozone shields such as the early Earth. These data provide a demonstration that endolithic habitats can provide a refugium from the worst-case UV radiation environments on young planets and an empirical refutation of the idea that early intense UV radiation fluxes would have prevented phototrophs without the ability to form microbial mats or produce UV protective pigments from colonizing the surface of early landmasses.

The harsh radiation environment of space is known to cause bit flips in computer memory. The conventional way to combat this is through error detection and correction (EDAC) circuitry, but for low-budget space missions software EDAC can be used. One such mission is the KTH project Miniature Student Satellite (MIST), which aims to send a 3U CubeSat into low-Earth orbit. To ensure a high level of data reliability on board MIST, this thesis investigates the performance of different types of EDAC algorithms. First, a prediction of the bit flip susceptibility of DRAM memory in the planned trajectory is made. After that, data reliability models of Hamming and Reed-Solomon (RS) codes are proposed, and their respective running times on the MIST onboard computer are approximated. Finally, the performance of the different codes is discussed with regards to data reliability, memory overhead, and CPU usage. The findings of this thesis suggest that using an EDAC algorithm would greatly increase the data reliability. Among the codes investigated, three good candidates are RS(28,24), RS(196,192) and RS(255,251), depending on how much memory overhead can be accepted. / Rymdens strålningsmiljö är känd för att orsaka bitflippar i datorminnen.Vanligtvis motverkas detta genom att felrättande hårdvara installeraspå satelliten, men för lågkostnadssatelliter kan rättningen iställetskötas i mjukvaran. Ett exempel på en sådan satellit är KTH-projektetMiniature Student Satellite (MIST), vars mål är att skicka upp en 3UCubeSat i låg omloppsbana. Den här uppsatsen undersöker hur olika felrättningsalgoritmer kananvändas för att skydda data ombord på satelliten från att bli korrupt. Först görs en uppskattning av hur strålningskänsliga DRAM minnenär i den planerade omloppsbanan. Därefter föreslås datakorruptionsmodellerför Hamming- och Reed-Solomonkoder (RS) tillsammans meden uppskattning av deras respektive körtider på satellitens omborddator. Slutligen diskuteras de föreslagna koderna med hänsyn till datakorruptionsskydd,minnesanvändning och processoranvändning. Uppsatsens slutsats indikerar att användandet av felrättningsalgoritmerkraftigt minskar risken för datakorruption. Bland de kodersom undersökts framstår RS(28,24), RS(196,192) och RS(255,251) somde bästa alternativen, beroende på hur mycket extra minnesanvändningsom är acceptabelt.

Orbital debris poses a serious threat to ongoing operations in space.  Recognising this threat, the European Commission has funded the three-year Technology for Self Removal (TeSeR) project with the goal of developing a standard scalable Post Mission Disposal (PMD) module to remove satellites from orbit following the completion of their mission.  As the project coordinator and key member of the TeSeR Project, Airbus Defence and Space Germany will invest significant resources in achieving this goal over the course of the project. This thesis details the initial analysis of potential PMD module designs conducted by the author during an internship within the AOCS/GNC department of Airbus Defence and Space Friedrichshafen between 1 April 2016 and 31 August 2016.  Three main concepts, drag sails, drag balloons and Electrodynamic Tethers (EDTs), were evaluated during this time with an emphasis on determining the ability of each design to permit passive attitude stabilisation of the satellite during PMD.  Following the required modification of a pre-existing MATLAB/Simulink model, several key findings were made for each device concept.  It was found that no drag sail designs investigated permitted passive aerodynamic attitude stabilisation at orbit heights above 550 km.  When deorbiting from 800 km, however, the lack of the desired and stable attitude was not found to have a significant increase on the deorbit time or the area‑time product. Drag balloon designs were predicted to be comparatively unstable and less mass efficient for deorbiting purposes, with area‑time products up to approximately 50 per cent higher than the equivalent mass drag sail designs.  In spite of this, unstable drag balloons were found to provide shorter deorbit times than stable balloons due to the contribution of the satellite body and solar array to the total frontal area of the satellite.  This indicated that attitude stabilisation is not required for satellites equipped with drag balloon devices. Modelling of bare EDTs suggested that tethers with lengths of 1000 metres or more would not permit passive attitude stabilisation at an orbit height of 800 km.  Simulation of a 500 metre EDT, however, indicated that passive attitude stabilisation can be achieved with EDT devices and proved that EDTs can generate significantly higher drag forces than aerodynamic devices while possessing a significantly lower device mass.  Following the analysis of these results, a recommendation was made for future work to be aimed at improving the EDT model used in this investigation.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Throughout its lifetime in space, a spacecraft is exposed to risk of collision with orbital debris or operational satellites. This risk is especially high within the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) region where the highest density of space debris is accumulated. This study investigates orbital decay of some LEO micro-satellites and accelerating orbit decay by using a deorbitsail. The Semi-Analytical Liu Theory (SALT) and the Satellite Toolkit was employed to determine the mean elements and expressions for the time rates of change. Test cases of observed decayed satellites (Iridium-85 and Starshine-1) are used to evaluate the predicted theory. Results for the test cases indicated that the theory tted observational data well within acceptable limits. Orbit decay progress of the SUNSAT micro-satellite was analysed using relevant orbital parameters derived from historic Two Line Element (TLE) sets and comparing with decay and lifetime prediction models. The study also explored the deorbit date and time for a 1U CubeSat (ZACUBE-01). A proposed orbital debris solution or technology known as deorbitsail was also investigated to gain insight in sail technology to reduce the orbit life of spacecraft with regards to de- orbiting using aerodynamic drag. The deorbitsail technique signi cantly increases the e ective cross-sectional area of a satellite, subsequently increasing atmospheric drag and accelerating orbit decay. The concept proposed in this work introduces a very useful technique of orbit decay as well as deorbiting of spacecraft. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gedurende sy leeftyd in die ruimte word 'n ruimtetuig blootgestel aan die risiko van 'n botsing met ruimterommel of met funksionele satelliete. Hierdie risiko is veral hoog in die lae-aardbaan gebied waar die hoogste digtheid ruimterommel voorkom. Hierdie studie ondersoek die wentelbaanverval van sommige Lae-aardbaan mikrosatelliete asook die versnelde baanverval wanneer van 'n deorbitaal meganisme gebruik gemaak word. Die Semi-Analitiese Liu Teorie en die Satellite Toolkit sagtewarepakket is gebruik om die gemiddelde baan-elemente en uitdrukkings vir hul tyd-afhanlike tempo van verandering te bepaal. Toetsgevalle van waargenome vervalde satelliete (Iridium-85 en Starshine-1) is gebruik om die verloop van die voorspelde teoretiese verval te evalueer. Resultate vir die toetsgevalle toon dat die teorie binne aanvaarbare perke met die waarnemings ooreenstem. Die verloop van die SUNSAT mikrosatelliet se wentelbaanverval is ook ontleed deur gebruik te maak van historiese Tweelyn Elemente datastelle en dit te vergelyk met voorspelde baan- elemente. Die studie het ook ondersoek ingestel na die voorspelde baan-verbyval van 'n 1-eenheid cubesat (ZACUBE-01). Die impak op wentelbaanverval deur 'n voorgestelde oplossing vir die beperking van ruimterommel, 'n deorbitaalseil, is ook ondersoek. So seil verkort 'n satelliet se ruimte- leeftyd deur sy e ektiewe deursnee-area te vergroot en dan van verhoogde atmosferiese sleur en sonstralingsdruk gebruik te maak om die vervalproses te versnel. Hierdie voorgestelde konsep is 'n moontlike nuttige tegniek vir versnelde baanverval en beheerde deorbitalering van ruimtetuie om ruimterommel te verminder.

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MATS (Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy) is a small satellite that will belaunched in 2019. The satellite will fly in low-earth orbit obtaining data from Noctilucent Clouds andthe oxygen Airglow phenomenon. The satellite is equipped with CCDs prepared to capture images ofthe mesospheric events. The image signal needs to be processed by an analog chain before reachingthe ADC. Satellites in orbit and their components are susceptible of being affected by ionizingradiation originated from the space.Electronic devices are affected in an ionization process, interfering with their functionality andperformance. Tests need to be done over the MATS components to guarantee that the transmissionof the signals is not affected by the radiation and the satellite is able to maintain its performance. Theaim of this thesis is to explain the tests carried to analyze the different MATS components at similarradiation conditions as the real mission and to find the most adequate substitutes in case of the nonsuitabilityof the original components. / MATS (Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy) är en satellit som kommer attskjutas upp i 2019. Satelliten ska flyga i en låg omloppsbana och avbilda nattlysande moln och syreluftsken (airglow). Satelliten har CCD detektorer för att ta bilder av dessa fenomen i mesosfären.Sensorernas signaler behöver behandlas av en analog kedja innan de når ADC. Satelliter på bana ochderas komponenter kan påverkas av joniserande strålning från rymden.Elektronikenheter påverkas i en joniseringsprocess, som stör deras funktionalitet och prestanda.Tester måste göras över MATS komponenter för att garantera att överföringen av signalerna intepåverkas av strålningen och satelliten kan bibehålla sin prestanda. Syftet med detta arbete är attförklara de tester som utförts för att analysera de olika MATS-komponenterna vid liknandestrålningsförhållanden som det verkliga uppdraget och att hitta de mest lämpliga ersättningar ifall deursprungliga komponenterna visar sig inte vara lämpliga.