By Ron Faith
In the rapidly evolving landscape of space exploration, launch vehicle operators, both commercial and government, face increasing challenges and opportunities. As the demand for space missions grows, traditional launch sites are reaching their capacity limits, necessitating the development of new launch locations. This shift presents a unique opportunity to rethink telemetry tracking and control, enabling more flexible and innovative solutions. At RBC Signals, we are at the forefront of this transformation, providing cutting-edge ground station services that meet the needs of modern launch operations.
Addressing the Demand for New Launch Sites
With existing launch sites nearing full capacity, the space industry must explore new locations to accommodate the increasing number of missions. Many of these new sites do not have traditional range tracking capabilities. This expansion to new sites requires a fresh perspective on range and telemetry tracking, moving beyond fixed installations to more adaptable solutions. Traditional range infrastructure is expensive and not flexible. RBC Signals founder, Christopher Richins, was an engineer for Boeing Sea Launch where they had to get creative about providing range capabilities in the middle of the Pacific for sea-based launches. Transportable tracking systems that can be deployed on ships or shipped to remote locations offer a versatile approach to supporting launches from new and diverse sites.
Containerized Antennas: A Game-Changer for Launch Telemetry
What is old is new again. With lessons learned from Christopher Richins’ Boeing Sea Launch days, creating seaworthy telemetry tracking systems is a solution for many of the new launch locations. A modern twist on these new systems is having telemetry systems that are containerized in both hardware and software. These systems, housed in standard shipping containers, can be transported easily and set up quickly, providing high-quality telemetry tracking capabilities wherever they are needed.
Recently, we deployed a containerized antenna system for a customer at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This deployment demonstrated the ease and efficiency of our solution, enabling seamless telemetry tracking for a critical launch. By offering containerized antennas, RBC Signals ensures that launch vehicle operators can access reliable telemetry services at any location, overcoming the limitations of traditional fixed ground stations. These containerized solutions also have an on-board mini data center within the shipping container. These mini data centers house servers that are running containerized workloads to provide for a software-defined range.
Supporting Polar Launches from Emerging Sites
As new launch sites emerge in regions like Scotland, the need for comprehensive telemetry coverage in non-traditional locations becomes even more critical. Scotland’s geographical position makes it an ideal location for launches that traverse over the Arctic, particularly for missions requiring Sun-Synchronous Orbits (SSO). These orbits are essential for Earth observation missions, providing consistent lighting conditions for imaging and data collection.
To support these missions, RBC Signals operates a strategically located teleport in Deadhorse, Alaska. Our Deadhorse teleport is ideally positioned to provide telemetry tracking for launches from Scotland and other northern European locations that are launching over the Arctic. Because of the flexibility of our software-defined ground segment, we can make multiple antennas available for telemetry tracking systems over the Arctic.
Conclusion
The increasing demand for new launch sites and the need for adaptable telemetry tracking solutions are reshaping the space industry. RBC Signals is leading this transformation with our innovative containerized antennas, global ground station network of tracking antennas and transportable tracking systems, providing launch vehicle operators with the flexibility and reliability they need. As we continue to expand our capabilities and support new launch sites around the world, we are committed to enabling the next generation of space exploration.
By offering state-of-the-art telemetry tracking and control solutions, we empower launch vehicle operators to achieve their mission objectives with confidence and precision. The future of space exploration is bright, and RBC Signals is here to ensure that every mission reaches its full potential.