Launch systems to support the booming nanosatellite industry

While the high cost of launch remains an obstacle to space access, particularly for small satellites, clever integration of multiple systems enables launching thirty or more satellites on one vehicle. Launch providers, like ISC Kosmotras, can maximize their launch capacity by “filling in the gaps” with small satellites. It benefits launch providers to use 100% of their vehicles´ capacity - otherwise, any leftover fuel has made an expensive trip into space for no reason. Spaceflight assists launch vehicle providers by purchasing excess space and leveraging proven technologies to maximize the number of satellites deployed. With new technologies from Innovative Solutions in Space (ISIS) and the design power of Andrews Space, Spaceflight has developed the capacity to launch thirty-five (35) 12U CubeSats into space using one ESPA Grande-derived Spacecraft. This ability to deploy many CubeSats into low Earth orbit stems from the combination of the ISIS QuadPack CubeSat dispenser and the Spaceflight SHERPA spacecraft. First launched in June 2014, the ISIS QuadPack houses four (4) 3U CubeSats, two (2) 6U CubeSats or one (1) 12U CubeSat. While most CubeSat developers still opt for the 3U size, ISIS has offered a deployer that allows for eventual expansion of size and capability. In parallel, Spaceflight, in cooperation with Andrews Space, has developed a plate that maximizes the 300 kg capacity of each of five (5) ESP A-Grande ports. This plate, known as the QuadPack Plate, or QPP, attaches directly to an ESP A-Grande port and allows integration of seven (7) QuadPacks to each port. In total, twenty-eight (28) 3U CubeSats or fourteen (14) 6U CubeSats can launch from each port. With five ports, the SHERPA spacecraft can support up to thirty-five (35) 12U CubeSats. Although the current record number of satellites deployed from a single launch stands at 30+ satellites, SHERPA and the QPP can match this number using only a single 1500kg spacecraft. The technical- challenges of coordinating many deployments and avoiding collisions are matched only by the organizational challenges of managing thirty-five payloads, but SHERPA and the QPP are quickly becoming a reality. SHERPA is scheduled to launch with at least two QPP´s in late 2015. Once SHERPA is upgraded to include nearly 2200 mls of delta-V, it can deploy constellations of CubeSats, timed to cover the entire globe - taking pictures, relaying communications, and beaming down internet. The era of launching small satellite constellations is here.