Unmanned Systems Technology 016 | Hydromea Vertex AUV | Power management systems | Unmanned Space Vehicles | Continental CD-155 turbodiesel | Swift 020 UAV | ECUs | DSEI 2017 Show report

October/November 2017 | Unmanned Systems Technology 48 Insight | Unmanned space vehicles computers, sensors and radios. They were built by researchers at Cornell University and lifted into orbit as secondary payloads by the Max Valier and Venta satellites developed by OHB System in Germany. The Sprites remain attached to the satellites for testing and are in radio contact with the ground. The radio scheme uses a relatively low frequency link at 437.24 MHz. The long-term aim is to use the design as part of the Starshot Initiative, but with laser-based comms links rather than radio. That would demonstrate the proof of concept for a light-propelled spacecraft that would use a ‘sail’ driven by a huge laser on the ground for propulsion. In this design, the controller would need to be as small as possible. This system could eventually move at 20% of light speed and, in just over 20 years, capture images and other measurements of the planets in Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to Earth. “The launch of the Sprite satellites marks the first demonstration that miniaturised electronics on small chips can be launched without damage, survive the harsh environment of space and communicate successfully with Earth,” says Professor Abraham Loeb from Starshot. “The Starshot Initiative aims to launch similar chips to reach the nearest planet outside the Solar System within our generation.” To bring the project back down to Earth, as it were, the concept of a swarm of small units is already under development, with several projects using the idea of nano- UAVs. A swarm of lightweight Sprites could easily form a distributed autonomous system for space exploration. Summary Developing space systems takes years if not decades, so in many cases the technology being launched now was unable to include autonomous operation. The Europa lander project for example shows just how far ahead space projects are looking, using contemporary battery and control technologies for systems that will reach the moons of Jupiter after 2030. However, the latest systems for orbital operation as well as reaching the Moon are now adopting autonomous technology. Autonomous craft are orbiting the Earth for years at a time, and a new generation of autonomous rovers will soon be landing on the Moon, after a decade of development. This highlights not only the challenges of developing autonomous space systems but also the ambition of exploration. NASA is starting planning for a mission to land a craft on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons (Courtesy of NASA) The prototype Sprite measures 3.5 x 3.5 cm and is the starting point for smaller systems intended for interstellar exploration (Courtesy of Starshot Initiative)