MightySat is a United States Air Force (USAF) multi-mission, small satellite program dedicated to providing rapid, frequent, on-orbit demonstrations of high-payoff space system technologies. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the USAF center for space technology research & development. MightySat platforms provide the on-orbit "lab bench" for responsively testing emerging technologies to ensure their readiness for operational Air Force missions. This paper focuses on the MightySat II series of vehicles being developed largely by Spectrum Astro, Inc. in Gilbert, AZ. MightySat II Flight 1 ("Sindri"), a 275 lb. satellite designed for deployment from either the Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP) or the Space Transportation System (STS), is now in final design stages, with Critical Design Review completed November 1997. Details of the current spacecraft bus design and upcoming integration and testing (I&T) plans are discussed. The development and integration of the advanced technology payloads for Sindri, namely the (1) Fourier Transform Hyperspectral Imager (FTHSI), (2) Advanced Thruster, (3) Plume Diagnostic Experiment (PDE), (4) Quad-C40 processor (QC40), (5) Solar Array Concentrator (SAC), (6) Shaped Memory Allow Thermoplastic Tailoring Experiment (SMATTE), (7) Solar Array Flex Interconnect (SAFI), and (8) advanced composite bus structure are described. A brief summary of future MightySat II vehicles and missions (Flights 2 through 5) is also provided.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    MightySat II: Rapid Access to Space for the Air Force Research Laboratory


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    Sixth ASCE Specialty Conference and Exposition on Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space ; 1998 ; Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States


    Published in:

    Space 98 ; 182-196


    Publication date :

    1998-04-21




    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





    Microparticle impact detector experiment on MightySat I [3116-21]

    Serna, P. J. / Liechty, G. H. / Neslen, C. L. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1997


    MightySat II.1 Fourier-transform hyperspectral imager payload performance

    Otten, Leonard John / Sellar, R. Glenn / Rafert, Bruce | SPIE | 1995


    MightySat II.1: an optical design and performance update

    Otten, Leonard John / Meigs, Andrew D. / Portigal, Frederick P. et al. | SPIE | 1997


    Engineering model for the MightySat II.1 hyperspectral imager

    Otten, Leonard John / Meigs, Andrew D. / Jones, Bernard A. et al. | SPIE | 1997