Caption: Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s first student-developed small satellite was successfully launched. Photo courtesy of interviewee (the same below)
Recently, the Long March-2D carrier rocket successfully launched, which also means that Taiyuan The Satellite Launch Center has successfully completed 100 space launch missions. This meaningful journey also carries a small satellite - the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization Student Small Satellite-2A (APSCO-SSS-2A, SJTU Siyuan 1) independently developed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, carrying the Long March 2 The No. 3 rocket was successfully launched into orbit at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s first student satellite
SSS-2A has folding solar wings and weighs only 3.7 kilograms. The 80-meter unit was independently developed by students. The entire satellite design breaks through the energy limitations of CubeSats, and the reliability of the satellite is significantly improved. It can not only automatically identify surface ship information in space, but also conduct new inter-satellite self-organizing communication technology verification in space.
Satellite telemetry data shows that after the satellite and arrow were separated, the satellite UV antenna, AIS antenna and solar sail were deployed smoothly according to established program-controlled procedures. The satellite completes satellite velocity damping in a short period of time and enters the sun orientation mode. At present, the satellite is flying normally, the voltage of the entire satellite is normal, the attitude is stable, and all functions are working stably and normally. In the future, the SSS-2A satellite team will continue to carry out on-orbit testing to ensure the stable operation of the satellite.
"SSS-2A" was developed by the Intelligent Satellite Technology Center team of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The center was led by Professor Wu Shufan, Corresponding Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics. It mainly focuses on intelligent satellite technology and large-scale constellations. Conduct research on on-orbit mission planning. The core members of the team have participated in the development of my country's first batch of cube satellite networking missions, the STU-2 cube test satellite, my country's first software-defined satellite SDS-1 satellite, and XXX small satellites and other satellite model missions. At the same time, in terms of basic pre-research, the project team has successively undertaken multiple projects such as the Civil Aerospace of the National Defense Science and Industry Bureau, Junkou 863, General Assembly Pre-research Fund, National Major Special Projects, Shanghai Aerospace Fund, etc., and has accumulated experience in multiple related research directions. He has a good scientific research foundation and has published more than 100 high-level papers.
The payload of the "SSS-2A" satellite is a spaceborne AIS receiver and inter-satellite communication module, which enables the collection of surface ship information and the verification of new inter-satellite self-organizing communication technologies, and expands the on-orbit application of nanosatellites. The satellite is also equipped with MEMS air-cooled micro-propulsors independently developed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and bi-folding unfoldable solar panels, which breaks through the energy limitations of CubeSats, improves CubeSats' on-orbit maneuverability, and expands CubeSats' on-orbit application scenarios. In terms of reliability, it adopts dual backup satellite computers, dual backup measurement and control single machines, specially designed attitude control computers, coupled with redundant interface design, extended energy hardware design, and combined with intelligent algorithm software developed in the laboratory, significantly It improves the ability of CubeSats to make autonomous decisions on-orbit and diagnose faults on-orbit.
As the first student satellite of Jiaotong University, nearly 20 students participated in the development of the satellite. The average age of these young Jiaotong University astronauts is only 24 years old. They tackled the problem step by step, going through the entire cycle of satellite development from satellite system design and indicator decomposition to satellite product development, stand-alone testing and verification, as well as whole-satellite integration and environmental experiment verification. They strive for excellence in every iteration of a printed circuit board (PCB), every adjustment to the satellite structure, and every software bug eliminated. In the end, this student satellite, with a self-research rate of 80%, successfully completed research and development and passed acceptance.
Huang Yixin, the leader of the student team’s integrated electronic system and a doctoral student majoring in aerospace science and technology at Jiaotong University, said: “It is a very fulfilling thing to be able to design and manufacture a satellite as a student! The biggest difficulty in this process is not making the satellite itself, but that we need to maintain an attitude of excellence at all times - typing every line of code, installing every device, and even tightening every screw requires full concentration, because details determine success or failure.
"Ph.D. student Jiang Yifei, as the person in charge of the ground station, carried out the first signal monitoring of the satellite into orbit in Kashgar, Xinjiang. In this launch mission, as the student person in charge of the communication subsystem and the ground measurement subsystem, he needs a People are stationed at the measurement and control station in Xinjiang.
Caption: Jiang Yifei is stationed at the measurement and control station in Xinjiang alone.
“I feel that the biggest difficulty here is loneliness, facing the endless horizon alone. In the Gobi Desert, one person operates complicated instruments and solves all the difficulties encountered during the work. But scientific research is lonely, and this loneliness also brings me more expectations. When I saw the instrument capturing the satellite signal, I felt that the universe was talking to me, and all the hard work and dedication paid off. "
Practicing education and inheriting the spirit of spaceflight
"The sky is the tent and the ground is the bed. We set up a camp in the valley, with three stones to hold the pot, and potatoes and cabbage as dry food. "The jingle circulated in Kelan describes the scene of the older generation of aerospace entrepreneurs fighting against the sky and the earth. After more than fifty years of hard work and hard work, they finally have the achievements of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center today. Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University Teacher Zhu Xinyuan came to the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center to observe the satellite launch with the satellite development team, teachers and students of the "Chasing Dreams in Space, Serving the Country with Youth" Social Practice Group, and experienced the great achievements of China's aerospace industry up close.
It has always been a fine tradition of Jiaotong University to use the spirit of aerospace to educate people. The school has organized "Chasing Dreams of Aerospace" industry education practice groups for many times, with students from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics as the main body, and went to Wenchang, Xichang, Jiuquan and other places. In practice, more than a hundred students from Jiaotong University were on the front line of satellite launches and witnessed the rocket piercing the sky and successfully taking off. Previously, the "Dream Space" social practice group had gone to observe the Beidou Navigation Satellite, Long March 5, and "Tianwen". 1" Mars probe, "Chang'e 5" lunar probe, China Space Station "Tianhe" core module, and the launch of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft. "Big ideological and political courses" are carried out at the front line of the industry to " "Aerospace Spirit" and "Aerospace Culture" serve as ideological and political education and educate new people. Through long-term institutionalized practice, we continue to establish students' lofty ideals of serving the country through space and space, and cultivate the sentiments of aerospace students to serve the country through industry.