Iowa Space Grant Consortium

The Orbiting Radio Communications Asset (ORCA) mission is a commercial mission being designed and built by neoStar Astronautics in cooperation with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium and Rockwell Collins. The mission will utilize advanced technology digital radio equipment provided by Rockwell to survey the low Earth orbit radio spectrum. This survey is of interest to both the commercial communications industry and to the scientific radio astronomy community. In addition to the survey, the spacecraft will provide an on-orbit transmit and receive test platform for advanced communications technologies that can be fully reprogrammed from the control station. A significant feature of the ORCA mission is the involvement of students from the Iowa Space Grant Consortium in all aspects of the mission design, development, and operations.

The capability to fly a balloon payload at a constant pressure altitude using a fixed-volume envelope has existed for decades. However, the fixed-volume envelopes are expensive relative to latex balloons for small payloads (less than or equal to 100 lbs). A capability to fly small packages at a constant GPS-referenced altitude using latex balloons has been developed at Iowa State University. The concept uses multiple balloons of differing sizes, GPS position data, and a ballast system. The hold altitude does not need to be determined pre-launch, allowing for holding at an altitude based upon in-situ sensor data in real time. The system has been flight tested and used for a research mission by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory through a contract with the University of Iowa. Although not an automated system, it has the potential to be automated at a future date.

Engineering and science students at Iowa State University have access to a variety of courses space related activities. The space program is housed in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. One of the outstanding activities is the high-altitude balloon program that allows students to participate in many design, fabrication, and flight opportunities similar to that of orbiting spacecraft.