One of the payloads on Virgin Orbit’s first UK satellite launch this summer from Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay will be the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (Dstl) miniaturised space weather equipment suite. The Launcher One rocket from Virgin Orbit takes off horizontally, carried aloft by the Cosmic Girl, a modified Boeing 747 airplane.
The Coordinated Ionospheric Reconstruction Cubesat Experiment (CIRCE) satellite mission consists of two 6U cubesats that will be launched in a string-of-pearls configuration into a near-polar low Earth orbit (targeting 555 kilometres altitude). Both spacecraft will use the same 6U satellite bus, which measures 10cm by 20cm by 30cm (the size of a cereal box) and will have nearly similar instrument capability. On the joint mission, Dstl is collaborating with the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).
The In-situ and Remote Ionospheric Sensing (IRIS) suite, which is complementary to NRL sensors and consists of three highly miniaturized payloads developed for Dstl by University College London (UCL), University of Bath, and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), with expertise from the University of Surrey, is the UK contribution to CIRCE. CIRCE will characterize the ionosphere, an area of the space environment that is vital for a variety of defense and civil applications and has the potential to affect GPS, communications, and sensing technology – both in space and on the ground.
All three IRIS payloads fit into a compact space measuring no more than 10cm by 10cm by 20cm. Due to the miniaturization of space weather sensors, each satellite bus produced by Blue Canyon Technologies has a large capability. Because of their modest size, weight, and power, this type of miniaturization could pave the way for the deployment of many more similar sensors as a standard feature on other satellites. As a result, data gathering for the near-Earth space environment would be expanded, and space weather modeling capabilities would be improved.
The safe operation of satellites requires a thorough understanding of space weather. As seen by the recent loss of 40 Space X Starlink satellites in February 2022, solar flares and geomagnetic storms can have a significant influence on satellites in space.
The satellites will be controlled from a number of ground stations in collaboration with international partners during the voyage. The small satellites will collect data as well as serve as technological demonstrations, with their value and performance being evaluated in order to reduce the risk of future missions.
A unique aspect of the CIRCE mission is the ability to characterise the same volume of space within a very short return period, enabled by the constellation of 2 near identical spacecraft actively maintaining a lead-follow configuration in the same low Earth orbit, separated by 250 to 500 kilometres. A single satellite in low Earth orbit has an approximately 90 minute revisit period; a multi-satellite constellation would improve on this, but it is the dual-nature of the 2 relatively closely-spaced CIRCE satellites that is anticipated to provide unique insights into the temporal dynamics associated with specific ionospheric structures.
Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, Commander of UK Space Command, said:
Defence science and technological activity in space has never been more important, whether it is in support of military operations or helping to combat climate change, defence innovation is at the forefront of this work. After it enters orbit from Spaceport Cornwall, CIRCE will enhance our understanding of space weather and help us to keep critical satellites safe from the many hazards associated with operating in space.
Dr Paul Hollinshead, Dstl Chief Executive, said:
The CIRCE mission showcases the UK’s academic and industry space capabilities and extends the physical boundaries of our collaboration. This joint endeavour with our US partners shows there are no limits to what can be achieved with our international allies.
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said:
The CIRCE space weather experiment will join a host of small satellites on board Virgin Orbit’s first launch from the UK, and it’s exciting to see the wide range of commercial, academic and government partners who will share this moment in history with us. We are on track to meet our ambition of becoming the first country to offer commercial launch services from Europe, catalysing investment into our growing space sector and creating hundreds of new jobs. I can’t wait to see Cosmic Girl take to the skies above Spaceport Cornwall later this year.
Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, said:
It’s an honour that critical UK and US partnerships are to be launched from Cornwall and we are proud to support the facilitation of these international milestones. The mission aligns with Spaceport Cornwall’s delivery of ‘space for good’, by bringing together partners from across the planet in a shared mission to support transformational space-to-planet communications and applications to benefit humanity.