

12
Platform one
June/July 2016 |
Unmanned Systems Technology
SpaceX is pushing the combination of
autonomous space and sea systems with
a second successful landing of part of its
Falcon 9 rocket (writes Nick Flaherty).
The rocket delivered JCSAT-14, a
commercial communications satellite for
Japanese company SKY Perfect JSAT, into
a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) at an
altitude of 35,400 km above the equator.
After separation, the first stage of Falcon
9 successfully landed on the
Of Course
I Still Love You
autonomous ship, which
was stationed 320 km offshore in the
Atlantic Ocean, nine minutes after launch.
The GTO destination of the satellite
required a higher speed for the first
stage, which made the coordination
of the lander and the ship more
challenging. The lander was travelling
at more than 5200 mph when it
separated from the rocket’s upper stage,
compared with about 4000 mph for
previous missions to a lower orbit. It also
Ships’ key role for launchers
Space technology
Taking its lead from the growing market
for USVs in maritime security missions,
both civil and military, Cambridge Pixel
has launched a USVx universal radar
control and display app (writes Peter
Donaldson).
Aimed at vehicle developers and
manufacturers, it provides an integrated
display of radar video, tracks, AIS data,
context maps and NMEA-0183 navigation
data from the vessel along with full
control of radar parameters.
“We have been working with some
key USV developers to make use of our
capability to interface with a wide range
of radar types; we also offer modules for
radar acquisition, processing, tracking,
fusion and recording,” said Cambridge
Pixel’s Mark Saunders.
The user interface is designed for
touchscreens and enables the operator
to perform functions including changing
the range scale, monitoring track reports
and alarms, initiating and deleting tracks
and adjusting parameters such as gain
control and clutter, and interference
processing.
The system can also fuse Automatic
Identification System (AIS) data with radar
tracks and visual contacts. Mission data
stored on the radar data recorder can
be played back through USVx for post-
mission review and analysis.
“With the addition of USVx, we
can now offer a ready-to-run client
application providing clear, maritime-
style presentation of radar video, tracks
and AIS data, alongside our suite of SPx
software, allowing integrators to use just
the modules they require for their specific
solution,” said Saunders.
Components on the USVx include the
radar and navigation system connected
to the SPx server and the AIS linked to an
optional fusion engine which, if fitted, is also
linked to the SPx server.
All are connected to the USVx client
aboard the mothership or shore station by
the data link.
In terms of computing requirements,
server and client need a 2 GHz Intel i5
CPU or better, at least 2 Gbytes of system
RAM and Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10.
Radar app breaks surface
USVs
SpaceX achieved the first successful
landing of its re-useable launcher in April
experienced five times as much heating
during its re-entry, said SpaceX.
The position of the ship is carefully
calculated to match the re-entry point
of the lander, and is controlled by the
satellite navigation system to stay within
3 m of the required position, even
under storm conditions. The vessel uses
four diesel-powered hydraulic azimuth
thrusters with a modular controller, all
manufactured by marine equipment
maker Thrustmaster in Texas.
The JCSAT-14 landing followed the
first successful re-use of the rocket stage
in April for the launch of the Dragon
payload to the International Space
Station. That stage landed on the ship.
SpaceX has said that somewhere
between one-half and two-thirds of its
recoveries will need to be at sea, and it
uses another autonomous ship called
Just Read the Instructions
in the Pacific
Ocean for launches from Vandenberg Air
Force Base in California.