What are the benefits of "One Arrow, Multiple Stars"? What technical challenges need to be overcome? An in-depth analysis

March 16

Long March 11 Y7 Launch Vehicle

Launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

Successfully deployed the Juntian-1 04A satellite, Dongpo 11, 12, 16 satellites,

Yuxing-3 05, 06 satellites, Weitong-1 01 satellite,

Xiguang-1 06 satellite, and a total of 8 satellites into their designated orbits.

The flight test mission was a complete success.

In recent years, many countries have frequently launched multiple satellites in a single mission. So, what are the benefits of multi-satellite launches? What technical challenges need to be overcome? Today, let’s take a closer look~

What is “One Rocket, Multiple Satellites”?

The “One Rocket, Multiple Satellites” technology refers to launching several satellites into Earth orbit simultaneously or sequentially using a single launch vehicle.

This method is a relatively advantageous launch approach, making full use of the rocket’s payload capacity to reduce satellite launch costs.

There are two main types of “One Rocket, Multiple Satellites” launches: one where all payloads are sent to the same orbit, and another where different satellites are launched into their respective orbits.

These two types of launches have different requirements for the launch vehicle. The first type involves shutting down the rocket’s final stage after payload deployment, releasing each payload sequentially. The main concern here is avoiding collisions between payloads after release.

For the second type, where multiple satellites are launched into different orbits, the launch vehicle must have the ability to perform orbit changes after reaching the initial orbit, which is beyond the capability of conventional launch vehicles.

How do satellites safely “detach” upon arrival?

First, the rocket must control the separation timing to ensure satellites enter their designated orbits at the planned times, while also managing the separation forces and torques to prevent collisions in space.

Second, the tracking and control plan mainly depends on the satellites’ orbital entry and their relative positions. It’s essential to select suitable ground stations to track the satellites within specific timeframes. A single ground station can track multiple satellites, which requires determining the final plan based on the actual distances between satellites.

What are the benefits of “One Rocket, Multiple Satellites” launches?

On one hand, this approach maximizes the launch vehicle’s payload capacity, reducing satellite launch costs. Traditional single-satellite launches often result in payload mass mismatches with the rocket’s capacity, leading to wasted launch potential.

The multi-satellite mode allows for rational payload selection based on the rocket’s capacity, increasing launch opportunities and lowering the average cost per satellite. Especially for small and micro/nano satellites, which are usually not suitable as the primary payload for a dedicated launch, this method offers a “carpooling” opportunity in space.

On the other hand, multi-satellite launches can accelerate constellation deployment. For constellations composed of many satellites, using conventional one-by-one launches can take a long time to complete the network, making it difficult to fully realize their potential in a timely manner.

Recently, many plans have been proposed for massive satellite constellations with thousands of satellites, emphasizing network deployment speed and overall efficiency.

Using multi-satellite launch methods, small constellations can be deployed with just one or a few launches, significantly improving efficiency. For large-scale constellations, this approach can greatly shorten deployment time, making the construction of mega-constellations with tens of thousands of satellites feasible.

(Source: Our Space)