Everyone's camera that can take pictures of the universe!I've seen an artificial satellite being developed by Sony (Mynavi News) --Yahoo! News

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The artificial satellite of the STAR SPHERE project jointly developed by Sony, the University of Tokyo, and JAXA has been released.It's more compact than I expected.

Sony, the University of Tokyo, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) are collaborating to develop a new artificial satellite named "STAR SPHERE". We have been covering an epoch-making artificial satellite for entertainment, which is equipped with Sony's high-performance camera and allows anyone to take 4K videos and photos of space and the earth with simple operations. [Photo], A shooting simulator that runs on a Windows PC. Anyone can easily move the artificial satellite and release the shutter of the camera. The STAR SPHERE project, which allows anyone to easily take videos and photos of space with the Sony camera loaded on the artificial satellite, is around 2017 with Sony and the University of Tokyo. , It seems that it was born from a study session where JAXA volunteers gather. In the spring of 2020, Sony officially decided to commercialize it, and in 2021, the artificial satellite and its remote control software were put into shape at once. At the press conference held by the Sony Group on January 13, Yoshihiro Nakanishi, the director of the STAR SPHERE Promotion Office, talked about the concept of the project as follows. "Now, space-related businesses are attracting attention all over the world. Sony has teamed up with the University of Tokyo and JAXA to provide experiences and services that make many people feel closer to space. Is that anyone can easily operate the camera of the artificial satellite from a personal computer etc. to take pictures of the stars and the earth in the universe. By looking down from the viewpoint of the universe, many people can see the natural environment of the earth and the earth. I would be grateful if you could think about the diversity of the people who live in it and give them an opportunity to enrich their hearts. ”(Mr. Nakanishi) Sony, the University of Tokyo, and JAXA, who participate in the project, share their roles. Sony is in charge of developing the "mission department" with a built-in camera and building the entire system, including remote control software called a simulator. The University of Tokyo, which has a wealth of know-how in developing small satellites, handles propulsion systems such as power supplies and engines for artificial satellites called "bus departments." JAXA, which has many achievements in the development and operation of artificial satellites, supports the development of technologies and businesses related to the project. Sony's artificial satellites are quite small! This time, I was able to see a prototype artificial satellite that was built to the final specifications close to the actual operation. The details were explained by Mr. Tetsuji Umeda of Sony Group, who is involved in the development. The artificial satellite is a small body called "6U size" with a maximum longitudinal dimension of about 30 cm, designed based on the CubeSat standard specifications. Is the editor-in-chief of Mynavi News Digital, who looks happy alongside the artificial satellite, a reference for the sense of size? Inside the compact rectangular body, the "mission section" developed by Sony is built-in. The power of various sensors and the battery required for communication are supplied by solar charging. Mr. Umeda says, "Because the camera consumes a lot of battery during shooting, we are enthusiastic about designing and operating to continue shooting with less power." STAR SPHERE's artificial satellite will be launched beyond the Earth's atmosphere to an altitude of 500 to 600 km above the earth. The launch orbit is undecided, but it seems that it will go around the earth 15 to 16 times a day, and will pass over Japan several times a day. Various sensors for moving artificial satellites Sony cameras and lenses have not disclosed detailed specifications such as zoom ratio and angle of view, except that they can shoot 4K video and still images. Since the camera unit is fixed to the artificial satellite, it is necessary to change the direction of the artificial satellite in order to adjust the shooting range. To move an artificial satellite, a special movable part (reaction wheel) that combines small disks is moved, and the position is adjusted in small steps on the three axes of XYZ by the reaction that occurs. If you operate it slowly and carefully, you can take 360 ​​° continuous panoramic photos. Attitude control is combined with a "star tracker" that measures the attitude of an artificial satellite by capturing the position of a star with an image sensor, in addition to self-position information obtained from GPS and a gyro sensor. In addition, in order to maximize the efficiency of solar charging, we have also installed a mechanism unique to artificial satellites called "Sun Sensor" that constantly accurately tracks the position of the sun. In addition, the artificial satellite has an antenna (2GHz band / S band) that sends and receives commands for operating and controlling the main unit, and an antenna (8GHz band / S band) that communicates large volumes of video and still images taken by the camera at high speed. X band) is built-in. It seems that the two types of antennas are designed to be able to communicate individually so that the artificial satellite can be operated and controlled stably even while transmitting a large amount of video data. On the solar panel side of the main body, there is a thruster (propulsion device) for maintaining the orbital altitude of the satellite. "Water" is used as the propellant, which is easy to handle and has a low environmental impact. The life of a 6U-sized small artificial satellite is generally said to be 2 to 3 years. A shooting simulator that runs on a Windows PC, which Sony is currently developing, has also been released, which allows you to intuitively move satellites with simulator software. With a simulator that acts as a user interface, anyone can easily move an artificial satellite and release the shutter of the camera. The screen of the simulator can be switched between three displays (views). Use the "Earth view" that captures the image of the entire earth and the orbit of the artificial satellite, and the "Satellite view" that gives a bird's-eye view of the satellite and the shooting point on one screen to determine the point you want to shoot and put the real-time image of the camera in the frame. Operate the shutter from the "Camera view". During the "10 minutes" when the artificial satellite passes over the ground station, users can freely operate the satellite and shoot videos and photos in real time. At other times, timer shooting is performed by reserving the time and releasing the shutter. Mr. Nakanishi, the general manager of the business office, who aims to launch the service in the fall of 2022 and start the service from around the spring of 2023, talks about the method and form of service provision in the future as follows. "STAR SPHERE's artificial satellite is planned to be launched from October to December 2022. It will stabilize the initial operation in outer space in a few months and provide a shooting experience to the general public in early 2023. "I want to do it." (Mr. Nakanishi) "I want to find a place that is neither too expensive nor too cheap," while exploring expectations while saying that the fee structure for general users to use artificial satellites is "the stage to be finalized." (Mr. Nakanishi). For example, it is possible that the point where the user wants to shoot is covered with clouds and the surface of the earth cannot be seen. On the simulator, it seems that you can have the experience of taking pictures of the clouds, but of course there is a need to "take a picture of the surface of the earth". Therefore, it is a future task to carefully consider the service system and terms, including meeting the expectations of users. The STAR SPHERE portal site established by the Sony Group, where everyone's ideas are gathered and the universe is close to us, is disseminating various information related to the project. The highlights include a video of a dialogue by contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and a report on the results of a workshop that Sony has held by gathering university and high school students. "The main reason why Sony is focusing on partnerships is to pick up and convey the charm of space from many perspectives." (Mr. Nakanishi) In the future, we will work closely with the music and movie departments of the Sony Group to create space. It is said that it will focus on developing content that fuses video, music, and animation so that you can experience the atmosphere of the universe, as well as entertainment related to the Metaverse. The artificial satellite, which is about to be launched in the fall of 2022 (the launch in the fall of 2022 is the goal), is finally reaching the final stage of trial production. Mr. Umeda, who is in charge of development, also talked about the difficulty that the engineer team has to thoroughly squeeze the operation and movement using simulation because it is not possible to perform field tests in a zero gravity environment. I just hope that the development has been completed successfully and that we are excited about the fact that we can easily take videos and photos of the universe early next year (2023). Let's pay attention to the development of the STAR SPHERE project. Author: Atsushi Yamamoto Journalist and writer Atsushi Yamamoto. He became a freelancer after working as a web editor and reporter for an audio-visual magazine. Since he has been interviewing the electronics show "IFA" held in Berlin, Germany every year, he is particularly familiar with the latest situation related to smart home appliances and IoT in Europe. He has a deep knowledge of audio-visual fields and covers a wide range from high resolution to music distribution, 4K and VOD. Taking advantage of his fluent English and French, he handles many events and interviews with developers from Japan to overseas.

Atsushi Yamamoto