Roscosmos: Marathon Satellite System

2024: A device for providing satellite Internet of Things was presented in Russia

In Russia, in August 2024, a device was presented to provide the satellite Internet of Things, developed by scientists from Novosibirsk State University (NSU). The device designed for installation on a spacecraft allows short messages to be exchanged with ground sensors, providing communication within the framework of the Internet of Things (IoT). Read more here

2023

Announcement of the battery for the first Russian satellite of the Marathon-IoT group

Specialists of the Research Institute of Automation and Electromechanics of Tomsk State University of Control and Radio Electronics Systems (NII AEM TUSUR) presented a battery for the first Russian satellite of the Marathon-IoT group, designed for the Internet of Things. The press service of the university announced this on November 1, 2023.

The developed battery contains lithium-iron-polymer battery cells that stably operate in an extended temperature range: from minus 20 to plus 60 degrees. To improve the reliability and life cycle of the battery, a special electronic circuit has been developed, it also protects the battery from emergency situations, the developers say.

Battery for the Marathon-IoT satellite

According to the developers, such a battery will ensure the full operation of the power supply system. It will be able to actively work for at least five years while the spacecraft is in the shadow of the Earth or the Moon. Another development advantage is compactness and lightness. It also ensures operation in different loads and other special factors without the release of gases and vapors that could cause corrosion of the spacecraft, disrupt its trajectory, pollute instruments or life support systems.

The battery successfully passed ground testing, as well as incoming control at the Reshetnev JSC enterprise, which was the customer of the battery for the first satellite for the Internet of Things Marathon-IoT created here. By 2027, TUSUR plans to manufacture more than 100 serial samples of the battery.

By the beginning of November 2023, design is being carried out on the basis of TUSUR, a "flexible" production section of a closed cycle automated assembly, testing and packaging of a series of batteries.^[1]

Start of satellite production

On September 7, 2023, Roscosmos announced the conclusion of a contract with Reshetnev for the production of spacecraft (spacecraft) of the Marathon-IoT low-orbit data transmission system. At the initial stage of work, it is planned to create five experimental satellites, after which the company will begin production of contracted 132 devices.

Marathon IoT "will consist of 264 spacecraft, which, as stated in Roscosmos, will allow providing data transmission services throughout the Earth. The satellites will have to work in a low circular orbit with an altitude of 750 km, where they will be distributed over 12 planes with a circumpolar inclination.

Roscosmos began production of satellites for the Marathon IoT system

The creation of a multi-satellite low-orbit data transmission system "Marathon IoT" is one of the key areas of the "Sphere" project, which provides for the integrated development of space information technologies.

By the end of 2023, the Reshetnev company will produce and prepare for launch the Marathon experimental spacecraft. The satellite will be equipped with a payload to provide short IoT (Internet of Things) messages. ^[2]

In August 2023, Sergei Prokhorov, director of the Department of Advanced Programs and the Sphere Project of Roscosmos Group of Companies, said that the operator of the Marathon IoT group was not finally determined, but SS Gonets JSC was considered as the main candidate for this role. Experts fear that when Marathon has an operator, it risks facing the commercial lack of demand for satellites in this configuration and the impossibility of returning invested public investment.

At our production site at Reshetnev JSC, streaming production is already ready to create devices for the Marathon multi-satellite group with the tact of producing one product per day, so the creation and deployment of the group will be ensured very quickly, "Prokhorov said in September 2023.

2022

The Marathon group is involved in the interests of aviation

The Russian satellite constellation Marathon is being used in the interests of aviation. This was announced on December 19, 2022 by Roscosmos.

The company "Information Satellite Systems" (ISS) named after Academician Reshetnev held a meeting of the Council of Chief Designers for the creation of a multi-satellite data transmission system "Marathon IoT," included in the project "Sphere." On the basis of the Marathon spacecraft, it is planned to implement mobile Internet of Things services, as well as solve problems in the interests of aviation.

The Russian satellite constellation "Marathon" is involved in the interests of aviation

According to a statement from Roscosmos, the Marathon IoT constellation of 264 satellites will cover the entire globe. The devices are supposed to be manufactured in series, with a frequency of production of products - one satellite in two days. To do this, new in-line assembly and testing workplaces are created in the ISS. The deployment of the Marathon IoT satellite system is one of the priority areas of the Sphere, the state corporation added.

The presentation of the first deputy head of Roscosmos for the development of the orbital group and promising projects, Yuri Urlich, said that the prototypes of the Marathon communications spacecraft would be developed within four years, by 2024. The Marathon IoT/M2M global data system will be part of the Sphere program.

In turn, the executive director of Roscosmos for science and promising programs, Alexander Bloshenko, said earlier that the Marathon satellite constellation would provide services for finding people, including in the mountains. The information will come directly to the Ministry of Emergency Situations or search services.

Equipment for connecting to the Russian satellite Internet "Marathon" will cost about 1.5 thousand rubles, said Sergey Prokhorov, director of the department of promising programs and the project "Sphere" of Roscosmos.^[3]

Projects of satellite constellations "Marathon IoT" and "Skif" received state funding

In mid-January 2022, it became known that state funding was received by the Marathon IoT and Skif satellite projects, which are part of the Sphere program. According to Roscosmos, for the implementation of these initiatives, subsidies were allocated from the federal budget in the direction of "Development of promising multi-satellite systems" of the state program "Space Activities of Russia."

It is assumed that the Marathon IoT group will include 264 vehicles, which will be located in 12 orbital planes at an altitude of about 750 km. Earlier, JSC "Information Satellite Systems named after Academician M.F. Reshetneva" presented a project and tactical and technical task for the development of a draft design of the Marathon IoT system. The first satellite within the framework of this project is planned to be sent to outer space in 2024.

Projects of satellite constellations "Marathon IoT" and "Skif" received state funding

As for the Skif multi-satellite system, designed to provide broadband Internet access, it will be created on the basis of 12 satellites, which will be located in an orbit with an altitude of 8070 km. The launch of the first apparatus of the Skif system should take place in September 2022.

In early January 2021, the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia would increase the number of space launches by two or three times at the beginning of the deployment of the Sphere orbital satellite constellation. He also noted that in 2021, Russia launched 25 space rockets, returning to the level of 2019, when there was no COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, the number of launches decreased to 17.

The first work on the project for the creation of a multi-satellite orbital group "Sphere" began in December 2021. The government has budgeted more than 10 billion rubles for this project until 2022.^[4]

2021: Approach "ISS named after Academician M.F. Reshetnev" to the production of spacecraft for the orbital group "Marathon"

In October 2021, the general director of this enterprise Nikolai Testoedov told about other approaches of JSC ISS named after Academician M.F. Reshetnev to the production of spacecraft for the Marathon orbital group. {{quote 'We set ourselves an extremely ambitious task: the device is no more than 50 kg, the price is no more than $0.5 million. In two years, it is necessary to manufacture 264 devices. This is a big challenge, because our company for October 2021 makes 10 devices of different types per year. And here you need to make 132. This is a real task, because we have come to the concept of a satellite-instrument and, just as we mass-assemble devices, we assume to assemble satellites. There are areas, technologies have been worked out, you see a site where a satellite collects in three days, "said Nikolai Testoedov.

These are the possibilities of digital transformations. We put the satellite in a pressure chamber for 50 days and test the device in a vacuum. This will not be needed here. This will be worked out on the required number of first devices, and then they took the satellite, compared it with a digital portrait, put the necessary block, turned it on, looked at the digital portrait again - it corresponds. If necessary, three or four more verification manipulations, and we pass on.}}

The company Gazprom Space Systems (Group of company Systematica), which is completing the construction of the assembly production of spacecraft (SPKA) in Shchelkov near Moscow, is also showing interest in receiving at least part of the order of satellites for Marathon, as well as another space group that is part of the Sphere project.

Igor Kot, Deputy General Director for Business Development of the Group of company Systematica, said that Gazprom SPKA is interested in receiving orders for the creation of satellites for the Skif and Marathon groupings at its assembly production of spacecraft under construction and is ready to fulfill these orders after the commissioning of the SPKA, which is planned in 2022.

SPKA intends to provide a full technological cycle of assembly and testing of spacecraft under one roof. SPKA products will be satellites of communication and remote sensing of the Earth of large and medium dimensions, as well as small serial spacecraft for multi-satellite systems. In addition, SPKA plans to provide separate services for the assembly, integration and testing of space technology and its components.

The source of financing is budget funds allocated to Roskosmos as part of a subsidy in the amount of 7 billion rubles. for 2021, - explained Sergey Prokhorov.

Commercial operation begins as the orbital constellation is deployed and the Earth segment is created to provide the service. The problem is not to produce satellites, but to create sustainable cooperation for their mass production and large-scale production of consumer terminal devices - in general, for all components of the system. And the system is not only satellites, "he explained. - So far, only development work is planned, which only indirectly affects the issues of serial production of components and the operation of the multi-satellite low-orbit data transmission system "Marathon IoT" with the target function of direct access on the AT-KA and KA-AT lines to terminal devices of any types of services in the field of the Internet of things, including when working in motion.

General Director of Probe-Holding JSC Viktor Donianz, ideologist of the creation of the Skif group, said that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) all NGSO groupings have time limits for the launch of both the first of the satellites and the full deployment of the entire constellation. {{quote 'In our case, the orbital constellation "Skif" of 12 satellites in medium-altitude orbit should be fully launched at the latest - in September 2029. At the same time, the first of the satellites should be commissioned before the beginning of October 2022. This will preserve the priority rights of the Russian Federation to use the orbital-frequency resource declared in 2015 in ITU, - explained Viktor Donianz.

As a rule, in relation to NGSOs of broadband Internet access systems, public information about their cost is very reluctant to be disclosed. The only exception is the publication in August 2020, in which the cost of four satellites of the generation O3B mPower - manufacture, launch and insurance - is estimated at 480 million euros^[5].}}

2020

The start of the development of the satellite constellation "Marathon IoT"

In early November 2020, JSC Information Satellite Systems named after Academician M.F. Reshetnev announced the development of an advance project for the Marathon IoT satellite group, which will number 264 spacecraft. It will take about three years to deploy the entire group, and a draft design is planned to be created in 2021, said Alexander Kuzovnikov, deputy general designer of the company.

According to him, by the beginning of November 2020, the enterprise has sites of about 2 thousand square meters. m, which are not yet occupied by anything, are clean zones that can be equipped and organize the assembly, integration and development of spacecraft data in these areas.

The development of satellites for the development of IoT has started in Russia

It is assumed that half of the satellites from the Marathon constellation to serve regions located above 50 degrees north latitude will be launched in the third quarter of 2024, the ground segment of the system is also scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2024.

The production of a prototype of the device is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022, the creation of a technical complex of spacecraft - for the first quarter of 2023, the manufacture and launch of six demonstrator spacecraft - the second quarter of 2023. The cost of a serial spacecraft at the manufacturer will not exceed 35 million rubles, Kuzovnikov said.

The development of the Marathon IoT system for global service is planned for 2025-2028, the replenishment of the satellite constellation - for 2028-2030, transfers. TASS

The active existence of satellites will be four to five years with the possibility of increasing to seven, follows from the document. Kuzovnikov clarified that after the completion of operation, the Marathon vehicles will be removed from orbit and flooded.^[6]

Russia will launch a new emergency response system with Internet of Things technology

On February 3, 2020, it became known that a Russia new emergency communication system will be launched under the working name Save +. It is designed to search and rescue, as well as to inform the emergency response service. In addition, the technology will work as an alert system RBC , the president of the nonprofit partnership said. GLONASS Alexander Gurko More. here

2018: Marathon satellite system to become part of Sphere

On November 27, 2018, information appeared that Roscosmos plans to create a Marathon satellite system to work on the Internet of Things market, which will be part of the Sphere project. This is stated in the presentation of the state corporation, which was at the disposal of RIA Novosti.

According to the Roscosmos document, the Marathon global system will become the system-forming project of the Sphere system, along with the GLONASS satellite navigation system, the Earth remote sensing system, the Express-RV and Gonets satellite communication system, as well as the Luch relay. At the same time, the presentation does not explain how many satellites the system will number and by whom they will be produced.

According to Andrei Ionin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, the creation of a satellite communication system to serve the Internet of Things market will require the corporation to have a maximum concentration.

Satellite communications have several segments. It works in the voice satellite market. Iridium Broadband in Internet will take and. OneWeb Starlink There is a third segment - the Internet of Things. This segment assumes success if the provision of services is carried out at the lowest price, because the listed systems will also provide such services. If they can be defeated, then only due to price dumping, this requires the most severe optimization, business processes technological procedures, and reducing the cost of satellites. In my opinion, only a private company is capable of such a cruel organization of work, - said Ionin.

According to him, such a system should be designed for work around the world, and accordingly, it is important for it to find international partners capable of working in the main potential markets. In addition, an important element of the system, according to the expert, should be cooperation with global technological giants capable of producing both equipment for the satellites themselves and subscriber terminals.^[7]

Notes