538: Hedgehog of Antennas

Mission Operations Engineer Ian Orzechowski joins us to demystify what it actually takes to operate satellites in space. We discuss managing small satellite constellations, the transition from multi-million-dollar bespoke satellites to commercial off-the-shelf hardware, and how satellite operations balance attitude control, battery health, and command authority (the ABCs of mission ops). Ian also shares stories about recovering tumbling satellites using torque rods, handling solar storm radiation, thermal management in a vacuum, orbital mechanics, collision avoidance maneuvers, and why testing hardware on the ground can sometimes do more harm than good.

Discussion Resources & Links

• Hubble Network – Satellite constellation enabling direct-to-satellite Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity

• The Amp Hour #728: Space Age Bluetooth with Alex Haro – Deep dive into Hubble Network's underlying BLE-to-satellite hardware technology

• Kessler Syndrome – The theoretical scenario where orbital space debris cascades into expanding collisions

• WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) – Amateur radio protocol designed for low-power, low-data-rate transmissions

Space Engineering & Mission Operations Recommended Reading:

• What is Satellite Mission Management? blog post provides an overview of satellite mission operations and ground segment architecture.

• The classic handbook on space mission analysis and design is Space Mission Analysis and Design (also on archive.org). There is a new edition: Space Mission Engineering: The New SMAD

Transcript

Origami in the thumbnail folded by Elecia. Lunar Lander pattern by Kim Best. Rocket designer unknown.