2 ms·
Somewhat ironically, the BBC article illustrates the "similar capability" with a picture taken by a commercial British satellite launched in 2018 and built by t
by mytailorisrich 2y ago
Somewhat ironically, the BBC article illustrates the "similar capability" with a picture taken by a commercial British satellite launched in 2018 and built by the same private British company.
So there is nothing ground breaking there in term of capability. The point is just that this is apparently the first reconnaissance satellite owned by the MoD, which probably means much faster reaction times and more independence.
Interesting factoid:
"One interesting feature is its propulsion system which manoeuvres the satellite using water. The water goes through a thruster that heats it up to make superheated steam. That's how we get thrust and do station-keeping," explained chief technology officer Andrew Haslehurst." [1]
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d77yq9zz2o https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d77yq9zz2o
- azornathogron 2y agoI wonder what delta-v they get and what the expected lifetime of the satellite is.
- icegreentea2 2y agoThe press release (as well as product sheet of the Carbonite line that this is based on) say 5-7 years. Resistor jet thrust and specific impulse is heavily influenced by how much electric power you supply. We don't know what performance specs for this satellite is, but we can estimate using modules from this other company as a stand in - their PBR-50 seems to be about the right size for Tyche (100-200kg class). https://pale-blue.co.jp/product/pbr-50/ https://pale-blue.co.jp/product/pbr-50/ and it claims 70s of specific impulse. Using the 160kg mass from the BBC article and 10kg of water as propellant, you'd get a delta-v of about 45.
- azornathogron 2y agoThank you! (And I clearly should have read more carefully)