OTTER: A Small Satellite for Responsive Space

The dependence on space-based infrastructure for navigation and communication at sea and on land is greater than ever and provides a significant example of how the failure of a satellite can have far-reaching consequences for civilian and military end users depending on these capabilities. As the likelihood of a collision, technical failure or even an attack on the space architecture increases, the protection of this critical infrastructure in space becomes an even higher priority. This is where the Responsive Space Capabilities come into play which aim at recovering the missing capability in a quick manner. This can be achieved through reconfiguring existing satellites for other purposes, extending existing capabilities or even replacing said satellite with a temporary solution or upgrade. The latter approach requires typically years of development for fully-fledged, long-lived capabilities under current practices because space projects are very challenging and costly in nature. As a middle ground, small satellites could offer a solution for faster, feasible and more flexible approach. To analyze this, the Responsive Space Cluster Competence Centre (RSC3) of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) conducts the 3U-CubeSat mission OTTER (Optical Traffic Tracking Experiment for Responsive Space). The scope of the OTTER small satellite mission comprises the planning, integration, testing, launch and operation of a small satellite in collaboration with industrial partners. During these phases, current capability gaps related to Responsive Space are identified. Further, research areas to increase flexibility, modularity and to speed up the development in space project are derived. This includes the launch, ground segment and space segments development. The RSC3 identified maritime domain awareness as an internationally relevant security-related application for its CubeSat mission OTTER. The satellite picks up AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals from co-operating ships and takes optical images of the transmitter area. This data is then merged on ground. A European micro launcher will be used to deploy the satellite in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at the end of 2024. At the end of the mission, a deorbit maneuver using the electric propulsion system will be conducted after 3 years in orbit.\nTogether with the integration of the mission into international co-operations, OTTER will make an important contribution to research into Responsive Space and maritime situational awareness. It will demonstrate the potential of CubeSats to provide a timely solution for space-borne capabilities related to maritime security applications.