TNS-0 No. 2 Nanosputnik

TNS-0 No. 2 is the professional satellite of a nanoclass developed by "Russian Space Systems" (RSS) by request of RSC Energia.

The mass of the device with all office systems is only 4 kg, at the same time it can take aboard up to 6 kg of payload.

TNS-0 No. 2 in an orbit after start

Development of the satellite

In 2005 from a board of the ISS the technology TNS-0 No. 1 satellite with a weight of 5 kg was launched. During its active existence in an orbit tests were passed by more than 10 technologies and devices. The practices received then were used for creation of the universal platform for spacecrafts of nanoclass TNS-0 No. 2.

Equipment

The spacecraft is constructed based on the unified platform developed by specialists of RKS holding which is in the future going to be used for creation of a series of domestic small-sized spacecrafts.

Onboard the satellite the experimental navigation, utilities, datchikovy and computing equipment developed in RKS which during flight of TNS-0 No. 2 will pass a full stroke of tests and will receive the certificate of the flight validity for installation on other spacecrafts is installed.

Preparation for start of TNS-0 No. 2 in RKS

2018

Testing of the cloud communication system onboard TNS-0 No. 2

The satellite TNS-0 platform No. 2 created by Russian Space Systems holding actively functions in an orbit already twice longer than the planned term. For device operating time in space scientists and engineers from RKS, Institute of applied mathematics of RAS of M.V. Keldysh and RSC Energia experienced a number of the innovative technical solutions and a method of control over small spacecrafts on the Internet, reported on July 12, 2018 in RKS.

Work of TNS-0 No. 2 in an orbit

As of July, 2018, onboard equipment of TNS-0 No. 2 functions without failures, degradation of a battery room and solar batteries is not observed. Every day with the device not less than 10 communication sessions are held — specialists on Earth obtain telemetric information on operation of onboard devices and the scientific equipment.

TNS-0 No. 2 functions in the normal mode. Temperature in the body fluctuates in the range from 3 to 18 °C, the axis of symmetry of the spacecraft follows a vector of a magnetic flux density of Earth. All devices used in it already passed piloting capacity. Thanks to it we received the fulfilled solutions on the basis of which we together with partners from RSC Energia and Institute of applied mathematics of Keldysh will work on development of the universal domestic nanosatellite platform — the chief designer of TNS-0 No. 2 Oleg Pantsyrny told.

According to RKS, in TNS-0 No. 2 original solutions which differ in simplicity and available cost are applied. The device is constructed according to the concept "satellite device" which means a development approach, to tests and operation of the spacecraft as the finished device. Except reliability augmentation and decrease in mass-dimensional characteristics, this technological solution allows to reduce the cost and terms of product development. If necessary on it it is possible to set any payload, to expand functionality at the expense of add-on modules — with engines, solar batteries or send-receive devices, explained in holding.

TNS-0 No. 2 nanosatellite

Practical testing of application in link quality of management and data exchange of the satellite communication system Globalstar became one of achievements of an experiment, in the course of work in an orbit of TNS-0 No. 2. The modem of this system installed onboard TNS-0 No. 2 provided the channel of bilateral data transmission. Use of the satellite communication system allows to be connected to the satellite from any place on Earth or in space where there is an Internet access. For maintenance of an alternative channel of communication it was used set onboard the VHF communicator satellite. According to RKS, during operating time in an orbit from TNS-0 No. 2 3,577 communication sessions of the general lasting more than 136 hours were held.

Virtual TsUP — the program loaded into a cloud created for ensuring carrying out an experiment — can be available to a great number of consumers to sharing of the device. For planning of scientific and technology experiments and obtaining their results it is enough to user to have Internet connection. For nearly a year of work of TNS-0 No. 2 collected large volume of data on work of a cloud management system which will be used for calculation of scenarios of use of such approach on new devices, specified in holding.

Testing of the autonomous system of navigation created in RKS became one of the major experiments made onboard TNS-0 No. 2. Its data allowed to direct with a high accuracy TsUPa VHFs antennas for link establishment with the device. During the experiment it was proved that instrument accuracy provides independence of control of an orbit of TNS-0 No. 2 of foreign NORAD ground-based systems which is used most often by creators of satellites of a nanoclass.

According to assessment of experts-ballistikov, the current status of the atmosphere allows to prolong the forecast of term of existence of TNS-0 nanosatellite No. 2 till 2021. After that it will burn down in dense beds of the atmosphere. All this time is going to make additional experiments for the purpose of determination of extreme terms of operation of different devices of the device in the conditions of space. Data retrieveds will allow to increase significantly at the minimum costs terms of active existence of the devices constructed on the basis of the Russian nanosatellite platform emphasized in RKS.

During further work it is going to carry out the correction of the software providing increase in an interval of autonomous flight of the device up to 30 days. The research of behavior TNS-0 No. 2 at the time of an input in dense beds of the atmosphere will become an important stage.

Meanwhile, specialists of RKS already prepare for start of TNS-0 No. 3 — the next device based on the unified nanosatellite platform which is used for land working off of the experiments made in an orbit so far.

Flight tests

The Russian Space Systems holding (RKS, is included into Roskosmos State corporation) in January, 2018 announced carrying out flight tests of the modular unified nanosatellite TNS-0 No. 2 platform started in space in August, 2017.

According to RKS, in four months of work in an orbit all experimental devices onboard the TNS-0 No. 2 spacecraft and a land one-point management system (a prototype of "cloud" command center flight) showed high efficiency and will be used during creation of a line of perspective domestic small-sized spacecrafts.

The Russian TNS-0 No. 2 nanosatellite is successfully tested in Earth orbit

As the chief designer of TNS-0 No. 2 Oleg Pantsyrny noted, "all requirements of technical specifications imposed to our satellite platform are confirmed. De facto we passed from a stage of flight tests to a stage of regular operation in the course of which a number of the experiments necessary for creation of the space systems based on nanosatellites is made.

The integrated onboard information system (IOIS) developed in RKS based on the specialized on-board computing unit (OBCU) is the cornerstone of construction of TNS-0 No. 2. IOIS of TNS-0 No. 2 provides flexible work planning, maintenance of temperature and power balance, and if necessary — and the automated recovery of functioning at an exit from an emergency status. The architecture of IOIS allows to carry out correction of the software of BVM directly in an orbit in the course of regular operation of the spacecraft that is available to not all systems even of big spacecrafts, emphasized in RKS.

According to the research supervisor of the TNS-0 program, professor Arnold Selivanov, during operation of TNS-0 No. 2 a number of the sensors necessary for creation of small-sized spacecrafts was tested. These are, first of all, sensors of orientation of the device in the sun, including the "exotic" sensor sensitive in the ultra-violet range executed on a diamond crystal. At the same time, the small-size sensor sensitive to the direction and value of an earth magnetic field — the magnetometer and also the on-board unit of a system of navigation developed in RKS allowing to define the position of the device according to satellite GLONASS systems and GPS is installed.

At an initial stage of flight tests as initial data about provision TNS-0 No. 2 in an orbit, necessary for planning of its work, information provided by the foreign NORAD system was used. Tests of an onboard system of satellite navigation were in parallel conducted. Its working capacity was confirmed and it appeared more precisely therefore the most responsible transactions, for example, targeting of an antenna system of land VHF of a complex, are carried out according to autonomous system of navigation.

In a work progress with TNS-0 No. 2 the large volume of experimental data about interaction of the spacecraft and the satellite GlobalStar system is saved up

In addition to testing of devices, operation of TNS-0 No. 2 allowed to make a number of scientific experiments. So, the telemetric information obtained from the system of optical pickups and the magnetometer allowed to create and approve to specialists of Institute of applied mathematics of M.W. Keldyscha RAHN (IPM of M.V. Keldysh) model of the movement of the nanosatellite in an orbit.

Working off of technology of "one-point" control of the spacecraft became an important part of work with TNS-0 No. 2. All resources of a land complex of management TNS-0 No. 2 are available to the user in the remote mode through the Internet to which the satellite is connected by means of the space GlobalStar communication system.

We continue to work on creation of the "virtual" mission control center (MCC) which can be selected to the end user of a space system. If, for example, to use the device in the educational purposes as we did it together with RUDN, then the university will have access to such TsUP. Visiting the corresponding website, the group of students receives the selected resource of usage time of the satellite, the selected command set of management and results of their execution in the form of the obtained telemetric information — Oleg Pantsyrny added.

In a work progress with TNS-0 No. 2 specialists of RKS also saved up the large volume of experimental data about interaction of the spacecraft and the satellite GlobalStar system providing data exchange circuit establishment forecasting. The received results allow to use surely such channel for ensuring information exchange between the nanosatellite and a land complex of management. In the long term it will help during creation of standby systems of control of spacecrafts by means of satellite communication systems.

According to the results of flight tests design features of TNS-0 No. 2 are accepted by RSC Energia as standard for the objects started by a manual method from an ISS board.

RKS and "RSC Energia also consider the possibility of start of the second sample TNS-0 No. 2 which is used for land working off of flight tasks so far. RKS already started approval of addition of technical specifications for start of this device and considers offers on installation of payloads of third-party users.

2017: Start with the ISS

On August 17, 2017 the Russian crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) Fedor Yurchikhin and Sergey Ryazansky during extravehicular activity launched the new Russian professional satellite of nanoclass TNS-0 No. 2. Reported about it in "Russian Space Systems" (RSS).

Start of TNS-0 No. 2

Delivery to the ISS

The universal nanosatellite platform created in RKS by request of RSC Energia was delivered aboard the ISS by the transport ship "Progress" in June, 2017. The difference of TNS-0 No. 2 from so-called student's nanosatellites consists that during its creation and testing all requirements imposed to "big" spacecrafts were fulfilled. Same treats the devices installed onboard the device, explained in RKS.

Work term in an orbit

As expected, the satellite will work in an orbit from 3 to 5 months. During this time it will collect and will transfer huge information volume to Earth. At the same time the cost of this information will be many times lower than if it was received by means of traditional, large spacecrafts.

Launch of TNS-0 No. 2

Small spacecrafts — very perspective direction. By our estimates, in several years even nano (weight less than 10 kilograms) and femto (less than 100 grams) spacecrafts will be able to solve serious problems. TNS-0 No. 2 will allow to lay the scientific and technology foundation for creation of groupings on the basis of nanosatellites and small devices for researches of distant space — the CEO "by RSC Energia Vladimir Solntsev is convinced.

Today we began an important experiment which success will mean that in Russia there was a new professional nanosatellite platform which application in the next years will allow us to reduce financial and temporary expenditure for working off in space of new technologies and carrying out scientific research — the CEO of RKS Andrey Tyulin said. — Creation and removal on the market of small spacecrafts of communication and remote sensing and also the target equipment for them will become the next stage. The size of the market of small spacecrafts on a global scale is already more than $2 billion and, according to our experts, will increase by 4 times already in the first half of the next decade.

Nanosatellite tasks

Collecting of telemetric information for scientists from Institute of applied mathematics of Keldysh who work on creation of the software for the active navigation system of the spacecraft will become an important problem of TNS-0 No. 2. The data collected by the satellite will be used for testing of the computer model constructed by specialists of institute.

Interest in the perspective Russian device the scientific research institute of nuclear physics of MSU, Institute of space researches of RAS, the State astronomical institute of P.K. Shternberg already showed MSU and Institute of medicobiological problems of RAS.

RSC Energia together with Institute of medicobiological problems considers the possibility of a research by means of the nanosatellite platform of influence on biological samples of factors of space created in RKS. At the ISS such experiments are made for a long time, but it is necessary for certain researches that samples were in an outer space, but not onboard the station. Besides, RKS and RSC Energia jointly prepare an experiment on working off of autonomous system of thermal control for nanoclass devices on the basis of micromechanical aktyuator.

One of the directions of works within operation of TNS-0 No. 2 is development of application university studies. Students of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (PFUR) and also more than 60 specialists of the space-rocket industry studying at the university on the approved programs will get an information access from the device. It will allow beginning developers to gather necessary experience for further development of competences in creation of small spacecrafts and the accompanying systems.