Supplement: Aerospace, Military and Defence
The final frontier T
By Paul Kostek, IEEE senior member and systems engineer at Air Direct Solutions
he space industry has evolved; it was once solely government focused, but now includes commercial operators. From the early days of the space race,
starting in the 1950’s when there were only two players – the USSR and the USA – space operations have now expanded to include many countries, such as China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Israel, Vietnam, and UAE, as well as commercial enterprises. Indeed, operations from satellite constellations to space stations, to landing on the Moon, are transitioning from being government run projects, to being operated by commercial businesses. Launch capabilities have expanded beyond the USA, Russia, and French Guiana, to include New Zealand, India, and spaceports in the EU and UK. In 2023, the UK kicked-off space operations with a launch from its Cornwall spaceport. However, unfortunately, as happens with space missions, the launch failed. The next challenge for planned spaceports in the UK and EU will be attracting more than one launch partner, so that failures do not shutdown operations. With the current backlog for launch services, the demand for facilities should provide increased opportunities for European operations.
Technology advancements since Apollo
Space technology has advanced significantly since the first Apollo mission. Prior to the landing, computers filled entire rooms. The Apollo engineers and scientists faced numerous engineering challenges, including how large machines could be miniaturised to work on the Columbia command and service module, as well as the Eagle lunar module. The result was the development of the first digital general-purpose computer. This changed not only space operations, but led to the use of these computers on aircrafts. A trip to the Moon was never going to be a one-way ticket. NASA had to ensure that the crew of Apollo 11 returned home to Earth safely too. Unlike today’s consumer technology, flight computers needed a high
24 October 2023
level of reliability for a space mission. The Apollo mission used the least amount of code needed to launch safely. Software was still an emerging field, and operating systems and programming languages were still evolving. The available memory was tiny by today’s standards – 74K of ROM and 4 K of RAM. However, the flight computers were a huge step forward in computing.
Since the first Apollo landing, space probes have been over-engineered, meaning it can take 10 to 15 years to reach a planet, but the probe is designed to last for 30 years and offers an extra service life, which has been incredibly fortunate for scientists. Since then, space technology has improved considerably with regards to efficiency and reliability. While NASA had to special order components, hardened for space applications, such as electromagnetic interference (EMI), today’s space vehicles are able to use commercial components as design and manufacturing have improved performance and lowered costs. Just think of the capability
Components in Electronics
of a smart phone versus what was on Apollo – not only is the performance greater, but also more reliable. Technology has increased in capability and opened up space to more users.
New international partnerships As more nations enter the space market there will be an increase in partnerships. For example, India launched a Brazilian designed satellite to monitor the Amazon Forest. The increased number of launch vehicles will lead to more opportunities for countries and commercial enterprises to launch payloads. Besides the UK and EU, spaceports are also being developed in Canada and the United States. These spaceports will not only add additional launch capabilities, but also provide opportunities for new companies to use these locations for the design and construction of systems. As satellite constellations continue to grow larger, new players are expected to emerge from around the world, using these systems for communications and data collection.
As future exploration becomes more challenging, and countries set their eyes on bigger projects, increased international collaboration and partnerships are inevitable. Partnerships will likely be created for space stations and operations on the Moon. India’s recent success landing on the South Pole of the Moon will see it become a new partner of choice.
Where the space industry is headed The space industry is projected to grow both commercially and economically over the coming years. Manufacturers will no longer have to ship their systems long distances or wait in a queue for a spot on a launch vehicle. Costs should also drop with additional launch facilities in play. Although the first use of the UK spaceport in Cornwall was not a success for the launch provider, it did prove that the facility has value and can create economic opportunities. It is likely that the spaceport will become a base for launch providers, space vehicle manufacturers, and another option
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