PSC will be holding free Canisterized Satellite Dispenser (CSD) and Motorized Lightband (MLB) workshops to improve understanding of separation system best practices. If you or your organization has used a CSD or MLB, are currently using a CSD or MLB, or would like to know more about them this workshop will be invaluable. The workshop [...]
PSC will be holding a free Canisterized Satellite Dispenser (CSD) workshop to enhance engineers' understanding of cubesat separation system best practices. The workshop will be taught by Walter Holemans, PSC's Chief Engineer. Topics will include: 1. Avoiding common mistakes in cubesat design, build, and test 2. Using CSD-specific features to reduce mission cost and risk [...]
Flight hardware inspection consumes a significant amount of time and resources. As PSC sales continue to increase, the quantity of parts to inspect naturally rises. In order to improve inspection efficiency while not sacrificing quality, PSC turned to a common solution: automation. A new image dimensional measurement tool has been procured and the inspection process [...]
PSC is upgrading our internal data acquisition (DAQ) system used for all hardware and testing. Lessons learned from years of operating, fixing, and upgrading the current system resulted in a robust and capable design that will see significant improvement across all use cases. PSC’s lead engineer on the program, Floyd Azure, answered a few questions. 1) Why is [...]
PSC has been awarded a contract for a 24 inch diameter Motorized Lightband (MLB). This diameter Lightband is compatible with the "ESPA Grande" Secondary Payload Adapter ring. PSC has offered the 24 inch diameter model since qualification in 2009, and this is the first one to be sold. This sale augments the range of 13 [...]
PSC completed assembly of a first lot of six Lightbands for a commercial customer. We assembled the units on an accelerated schedule. Next comes full acceptance testing of all Lightbands: strength, vibration, thermal vacuum and separation reliability. We’ll complete about twenty Lightband separations on each unit in the extremes of environmental testing before the customer [...]
PSC had a record year in 2014 delivering 8 Lightbands and 4 Canisterized Satellite Dispensers (CSDs). These numbers represent a 100% increase in deliveries over 2013 for both Lightbands and CSDs. Additionally, PSC received and refurbished one Lightband before delivering it back to the customer in 2014. All of these products were sold to a wide array of [...]
In early 2013 PSC delivered a fully-tested 15 inch MkII Motorized Lightband to ESA for use on the new VEGA rocket. The Lightband successfully separated the Proba-V payload from the rocket on 7 May 2013. This international collaboration expands PSC’s ability to deliver hardware directly to foreign customers.
PSC will support launch integration of a 3U CSD that will deploy the POPACS cubesat. The satellite consists of three spheres restrained in four aluminum spacers, preloaded within the CSD during launch. Upon deployment from the CSD the POPACS components will immediately separate from each other. The mission of POPACS is to measure the changes in density of the auroral zone upper atmosphere [...]
Prospective customers have performed cubesat launch vehicle trade studies with promising results for CSD. “We believe the CSD will be a significant improvement over the PPOD and will plan to use it when we can.” -Dr. Benjamin K. Malphrus Chair, Department of Earth and Space Sciences Space Science Center Morehead State University
