A lot of work goes into building a satellite. From coming up with a design, to manufacturing it, to the money needed to finance the whole thing, making a satellite is a gargantuan task. However, there is a surprising amount of work that goes into getting it ready to launch into space, as well. That is what we at Impulso call the “last mile”, and it’s what we specialize in. But to better understand this complex process, let’s go through every step for launching a satellite.
Checks as Far as the Eye Can See
The first step to take is getting the satellite to the location of its launch campaign. After all, satellites are not manufactured at launch sites. After the satellite reaches this location, it will undergo its first check to see if it sustained any damage during the transport. While shipping a satellite comes with extensive safety measures, no means of transport are flawless. So, checking that everything is working as intended is still a must. This is just the first of many checks for a standard launch campaign.
Another key step for a satellite being prepped for launch is fueling. Throughout this process, the satellite and its mass will be constantly monitored. This is both to ensure that there are no leaks, as well as to confirm that the desired amount of fuel has been added. Furthermore, to guarantee that no external factors are affecting these measurements, these operations are conducted in a controlled environment. More specifically, a cleanroom. This way, factors such as temperature, humidity, airflow, etc. will all be known and accounted for.
Fueling is not the only part of a launch campaign that is conducted in a cleanroom. Anything that is needed to get the satellite ready for integration on a launcher is typically conducted there, as well. This will include steps such as updating the satellite’s software, charging its batteries, integrating the separation systems, and integrating payloads on an OTV — also known as a space tug. Not every satellite will need all these steps to be prepped, but they are some of the more prominent ones.
You Can’t Escape Bureaucracy
An aspect of launching a satellite that is less discussed, but very much present, is the bureaucracy behind it. This can be broken down into two main components: insurance and customs clearance. Let’s start with the latter. While customs are not something every satellite will have to go through, they can be quite difficult to navigate. But, given the sensitive nature of payloads that will go up into space, that is not too surprising.
The insurance of a satellite and its mission is another key component in getting ready for launch. With satellites and their payloads being such valuable assets, no company wants to risk losing their investment completely. This is yet another complex topic, but if you would like to learn more about it, you can look through our previous capsule on space insurance. For now, suffice it to say it is a necessary commodity for any launch.
Getting Integrated
But let’s get back to the physical processes behind launching a satellite. Once the satellite is shipped to the launch site for the upcoming mission, there’s one more step left. Getting integrated on the rocket. This is the final piece of the puzzle, as well as what all this preparation has been leading up to. Once the satellite is fueled, the separation systems have been integrated, and everything is in place, a last round of checks is performed. These are done to ensure nothing has changed since the last inspection, and that no sudden problems have arisen. If everything is in order, the remove before flight tags will be, well, removed, and the satellite will be integrated on the rocket, awaiting the fated moment of the launch, itself.
With that, we end this brief overview of the intricacies behind the last mile of getting a satellite ready for launch. Needless to say, each process is much more involved than what we covered today. But this should, hopefully, provide a broad idea of what launch campaigns are like. And dealing with the complexities associated with them is where Impulso comes in. Thanks to our end-to-end turnkey solution, our company can offer services to take care of every step of a launch campaign, from shipment, to satellite preparation, launch capacity, and more. If you’d like to learn more about what we offer, you can check out our services page on our website. But for now, thank you for joining us in this capsule. And make sure to follow Impulso on social media to stay up to date with all our launches!
