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12 Platform one June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology SpaceX is pushing the combination of autonomous space and sea systems with a second successful landing of part of its Falcon 9 rocket (writes Nick Flaherty). The rocket delivered JCSAT-14, a commercial communications satellite for Japanese company SKY Perfect JSAT, into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) at an altitude of 35,400 km above the equator. After separation, the first stage of Falcon 9 successfully landed on the Of Course I Still Love You autonomous ship, which was stationed 320 km offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, nine minutes after launch. The GTO destination of the satellite required a higher speed for the first stage, which made the coordination of the lander and the ship more challenging. The lander was travelling at more than 5200 mph when it separated from the rocket’s upper stage, compared with about 4000 mph for previous missions to a lower orbit. It also Ships’ key role for launchers Space technology Taking its lead from the growing market for USVs in maritime security missions, both civil and military, Cambridge Pixel has launched a USVx universal radar control and display app (writes Peter Donaldson). Aimed at vehicle developers and manufacturers, it provides an integrated display of radar video, tracks, AIS data, context maps and NMEA-0183 navigation data from the vessel along with full control of radar parameters. “We have been working with some key USV developers to make use of our capability to interface with a wide range of radar types; we also offer modules for radar acquisition, processing, tracking, fusion and recording,” said Cambridge Pixel’s Mark Saunders. The user interface is designed for touchscreens and enables the operator to perform functions including changing the range scale, monitoring track reports and alarms, initiating and deleting tracks and adjusting parameters such as gain control and clutter, and interference processing. The system can also fuse Automatic Identification System (AIS) data with radar tracks and visual contacts. Mission data stored on the radar data recorder can be played back through USVx for post- mission review and analysis. “With the addition of USVx, we can now offer a ready-to-run client application providing clear, maritime- style presentation of radar video, tracks and AIS data, alongside our suite of SPx software, allowing integrators to use just the modules they require for their specific solution,” said Saunders. Components on the USVx include the radar and navigation system connected to the SPx server and the AIS linked to an optional fusion engine which, if fitted, is also linked to the SPx server. All are connected to the USVx client aboard the mothership or shore station by the data link. In terms of computing requirements, server and client need a 2 GHz Intel i5 CPU or better, at least 2 Gbytes of system RAM and Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10. Radar app breaks surface USVs SpaceX achieved the first successful landing of its re-useable launcher in April experienced five times as much heating during its re-entry, said SpaceX. The position of the ship is carefully calculated to match the re-entry point of the lander, and is controlled by the satellite navigation system to stay within 3 m of the required position, even under storm conditions. The vessel uses four diesel-powered hydraulic azimuth thrusters with a modular controller, all manufactured by marine equipment maker Thrustmaster in Texas. The JCSAT-14 landing followed the first successful re-use of the rocket stage in April for the launch of the Dragon payload to the International Space Station. That stage landed on the ship. SpaceX has said that somewhere between one-half and two-thirds of its recoveries will need to be at sea, and it uses another autonomous ship called Just Read the Instructions  in the Pacific Ocean for launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.