DARPA-Raytheon: Micro SeeMe Satellites to bring Bird's-Eye View of the Battlefield to Soldier

Raytheon: Tiny Satellites To Give Warfighters a Bird's-Eye View of the Battlefield
Small, “disposable” satellites launched from fighter jets could soon give soldiers a birds-eye view of the battlefield at a fraction of the cost of other sensors.
SeeMe satellites, now in development at Raytheon, will give warfighters a nearly instant, zoomed-in view of enemies in the next canyon or behind a hill. The satellites will beam images to existing communication devices, and eventually to smartphones.

 “We’re putting near-real time data where the warfighter needs it – directly into their hands – and providing them with vital, tactical intelligence they can control,” said Tom Bussing, vice president of Advanced Missile Systems at Raytheon Missile Systems.
In December the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon a $1.5 million development contract for the satellites. The agency says it wants small, “disposable” satellites that can transmit directly to the field.
The name SeeMe stands for Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements.  Raytheon hopes to eventually build six of the satellites for ground testing under phase two of the contract.
Commanders could position a “constellation” of 24 satellites in low-earth orbit so that one is in range every 90 minutes. Weighing less than 25 pounds, the satellites would measure less than 3 feet long, be about a foot in diameter and capable of staying in orbit for a minimum of 45 days.

“Basically, we’re taking Raytheon’s tactical missile approach and applying it to space,” said SeeMe program lead Leonard Vance. “Traditionally, satellites are large, expensive and packed with functions, and may take up to a decade to manufacture. Although Raytheon is not in the business of putting satellites into orbit, we are experts at high-volume manufacturing of missiles at relatively low cost.”
The cost of a traditional, multi-function satellite can run into tens of millions of dollars, but at full production rates each SeeMe satellite should cost less than $500,000. Utilizing a booster provided by the DARPA ALASA (Airborne Launch Assist Space Access) program, total launch costs would be $1.5 million per SeeMe satellite.
For the initial contract, Raytheon has teamed with Sierra Nevada Corp., the University of Arizona and SRI International to assist with the design work and eventual production.
“We are leveraging our ability to mass produce small items that meet the rigorous standards of space,” said Randy Gricius, space applications program manager at Raytheon Missile Systems. “SeeMe will be a high-value item at a production-rate price, and give warfighters priceless information.”

Published: 08/26/2014

SeeMe: DARPA Seeks Tiny Satellites to Map Terrain for US Troops / Sputnik International
In December, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded a $1.5 million contract to Raytheon to develop the satellites.
The technology has been named the SeeMe satellite – after DARPA's quest for Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements. It is about the size of a water cooler and is cheaper to make and launch than the typical hardware sent into orbit, Business Insider reported.
With the SeeMe satellite, designers aimed to advance satellite imagery from a strategic to a tactical asset – one that could, for example, give individual soldiers an idea of what lies beyond their field of vision.
"It's really about two things," Randy Gricius, director of Raytheon's space innovations group, told Business Insider. "It's about persistence – having the data pretty much anytime [a soldier] needs it – and about him being able to control it."
Gricius estimated that it would take only 24 SeeMe satellites no more than 90 minutes to provide images of the ground anywhere within an area half the size of the United States.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/news/20150228/1018872402.html#ixzz3chAmqebn

Adaptation of Manufacturing to Mass Production of Nanosatellites
Production of satellites in the United States has largely converged on a business model which focuses on large, highly capable units, engineered for exquisite performance, high mission assurance and long lifespans.  As the capability of nanosatellite components matures, opportunities emerge to exploit these new technologies to develop disaggregated tactical support systems for the warfighter which would be low cost, survivable and responsive to individual needs.  Raytheon, in concert with other vendors and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has brought into existence automated production facilities designed for this purpose, which maintain the capability to produce nanosatellites such as SeeMe and Phoenix satlets concurrently.
The development of this manufacturing capability permits short term production runs of satellites as needed with a fraction of the cost of a dedicated roduction line.  Detailed work flows derived from robotic work instructions provide a sound basis for assembly simulations, establishing confidence in unit price and schedule.   A detailed account of this automated assembly line, along with current expansion plans is discussed, providing insight into future production capabilities

DigitalCommons@USU - AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites: Responsive Imaging Surveillance Using CubeSat Technologies Derived from the DARPA SeeMe Project

Responsive Imaging Surveillance Using CubeSat Technologies Derived from the DARPA SeeMe Project

Leonard Vance - Raytheon RMS
Rigel Woida - Raytheon RMS
Jared Stallings - Raytheon IIS

SeeMe Goals

• 20 Kg Mass
• September 2015 Launch
• Full Function ADCS
• UHF Command & Control
• S-Band Image Downlink
• NIIRS 5 capability
• > 90 day lifetime
• < 500K$ price at volume