Satellite cameras and optical payloads

Roundup

Satellite cameras are often then foundation of successful Earth Observation missions and services.

In this post we give a brief overview of how EO optical payloads are used in small satellites and share listings of multiple products available on the global marketplace – if you would like to skip the introductory material and instead get straight to the product listings, please click here.


Space engineers have been looking to lower costs by using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) innovations for the last few decades. This is true at all levels, from individual electronic components to complete satellite cameras.

Alongside this commercial drive, experiments into the use of COTS components and sub-systems have been carried out at universities such as the University of Surrey and TU Berlin for several years.

In fact, the foundation of experimental satellites built by universities, such as the UoSAT and TUBSAT series of satellites, has provided the basis for realising cost-effective spacecraft that are packed with decent Earth Observation (EO) capabilities.

It is worthwhile to note interesting observations made by Professor Sir Martin Sweeting (Figure 1) of improvements in performance criteria such as Ground Sampling Distance (GSD), data rate, data storage etc., having a very close association with Moore’s law.

One could argue that the cost of satellites themselves has possibly followed the same trajectory (given the same GSD) due to factors such as reliability of COTS electronics and the decrease in launch costs.

optical payloads on satsearch
Figure 1 – Moore’s Law observed in small satellites (image credit: Professor Sir Martin Sweeting).

A whole generation of universities and NewSpace companies have leveraged such cost-effective spacecraft development in the small satellite world and have taken advantage of the increase in computing capabilities to generate much greater progress in the last thirty years.

The invention of CubeSats led to further interest in COTS EO payloads by students and engineers and has also enabled the translation of academic research interests into the development of innovative NewSpace EO ventures.

The most well-known example of this is Planet Labs, which has flown over 200 satellites based on CubeSat standard.


Choosing the right optical payload for your mission

When selecting any piece of technology for your mission it is important to be aware of costs, lead times, integration and testing requirements, as well as the physical requirements of your system.

In addition, here are some of the key performance criteria to consider when assessing satellite cameras on the global market, to see which could suit your needs:

  • Spatial resolution – a measure of the smallest object that can be resolved by the optical payload.
  • Spectral resolution – the number and width of spectral bands that the sensor can collect from reflected radiance.
  • Swath – the area imaged by the optical payload.
  • Radiometric resolution – this indicates how much information is in a pixel and is expressed in units of bits.
  • SWaP factor – the size, weight and power of the satellite or sub-system.

For more information, we have also published an in-depth guide on 9 factors to take into acount when selecting the best optical payload for your mission, produced in collaboration with satsearch member Simera Sense.

We have also interviewed Rafael Guzman, founder and CTO of satsearch member SATLANTIS, on the latest advances in Earth Observation (EO) technologies and optical payload performance, on the Space Industry podcast.


Optical payloads on the global market

In the list below we have rounded up a range of commercially-available EO optical payloads for small satellites (<100 kg) on the global marketplace for space.

Please note that this list will be updated when new products are added to the global marketplace for space – so please check back for more or sign up for our mailing list to get all the updates.

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The SATLANTIS iSIM-90 VNIR SWIR is an optical payload designed to provide a high performance to mass ratio in 12U/16U CubeSats. It covers the Visible & Near InfraRed (VNIR) spectral range, offering both panchromatic and multispectral capabilities according to the user's needs, and includes the optical front-end as well as state-of-the-art CMOS matrix detectors and an electronics subsystem for payload management and control.

mass

< 6 kg

power consumption

17 W + heating

ground sample distance

< 1.65m @500km

swath

13km @500km
26km @500km

The SATLANTIS iSIM-170 VNIR SWIR is a sub-meter resolution optical payload designed for microsatellites. It covers the Visible & Near InfraRed (VNIR) spectral range, offering both panchromatic and multispectral capabilities according to the user's needs, and includes the optical front-end as well as state-of-the-art CMOS matrix detectors and an electronics subsystem for payload management and control.

mass

< 15 kg

power consumption

17 W + heating

ground sample distance

0.8m @500km

swath

7.5km @500km
15km @500km

A multispectral camera suitable for integration with 6U or larger CubeSats. The Caiman has a 12 km swath (at 500 km orbit altitude), 5 V DC operating voltage and weighs 1.8 kg.

mass

1.8 kg (including electronics)

power usage

< 10 W (imaging mode)
< 5 W (readout mode)

ground sample distance

3 m @ 500 km (PAN)
6 m @ 500 km (MS)

swath

12 km @ 500 km

A multispectral or hyperspectral camera suitable for integration with 3U or larger CubeSats, with proven electronics with flight heritage. The Chameleon-MS has 5 V DC operating temperature, mass of 1.6 kg, and features customizable on-board storage and downlink options.

mass

1.6 kg

power consumption

< 10 W (imaging mode)
< 5 W (readout mode)

ground sample distance

binned to 40 m @ 500 km (HS)
10 m @ 500 km (PAN)
20 m @ 500 km (MS, binned for HS)

swath

40 km @ 500 km (MS)
20 km @ 500 km (HS)

Designed to offer an easy-to-integrate RGB matrix imaging payload suitable for 2U or larger CubeSats, and with a mass of 0.4 kg. The Gecko features 128 GB of data storage, a swath of 80 km and ground sample distance of 39 m (both at 500 km orbit amplitude).

mass

0.4 kg

power consumption

2.6 W (imaging mode)
4.5 W (readout mode)

ground sample distance

39 m @ 500 km

swath

80 km @ 500 km

An optical payload for microsatellites based on radiation-resistant optical components with very low coefficient of thermal expansion. The DragonEye features 512 GB of data storage, a swath of 20 km (at 500 km orbit amplitude) and a mass of 18 kg.

mass

18 kg (including electronics)

power usage

< 45 W (imaging mode)
< 25 W (readout mode)

spatial resolution (GSD)

1.4 m @ 500 km (PAN)
2.8 m @ 500 km (MS)

swath

20 km @ 500 km

Designed as a high-resolution imager for larger microsatellites, capable of achieving sub-meter resolution (PAN). The Raptor has an operating voltage of 28 V DC, a swath of 11 km (at 500 km orbit amplitude) and a mass of 45 kg.

mass

45 kg (including electronics)

power consumption

< 45 W (imaging mode)
< 25 W (readout mode)

ground sample distance

0.7 m @ 500 km (PAN)
2.8 m @ 500 km (MS)

swath

11 km @ 500 km

A multispectral and hyperspectral imager compatible with 1U and 2U CubeSats. The Mantis has an operating voltage of 5 V DC, swath of 32 km (at 500 km orbit altitude) and a mass of 0.5 kg. The system is also available as a standard Snapshot RGB imager.

mass

0.5 kg

power consumption

< 2.6 W (imaging mode)
< 4.6 W (readout mode)

ground sample distance

16 m @ 500 km (PAN)
32 m @ 500 km (MS and HS)

swath

32 km @ 500 km

The Scanway Optical Payload (SOP) is a high-resolution telescope for Earth Observation (EO) applications suitable for both microsatellites and nanosatellites. The SOP can be configured to different spectrum bands detectors such as VIS, NIR, SWIR and different imaging resolutions (GSD).

mass

N/A

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

HyperScape100

DATASHEET
CAD
ICD

Simera Sense's HyperScape100 is a hyperspectral push-broom imager primarily designed for Earth Observation (EO) applications, as a payload for CubeSats. It is based on a CMOS image sensor and custom continuously variable optical filter in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectral range.

mass

1.1 kg ± 5%

power consumption

2.7 W (idle or readout)
7.0 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

4.75 m @ 500 km

swath

19.4 km @ 500 km

Simera Sense's MultiScape100 CIS is a multispectral push-broom imager for Earth Observation (EO) applications. It is based on a CMOS imaging sensor and a 7-band multispectral filter in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectral range. It provides continuous line-scan imaging in up to 7 spectral bands, each with digital time delay integration (dTDI).

mass

1.1 kg ± 5%

power consumption

2.5 W (idle or readout)
5.8 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

4.75 m @ 500 km

swath

19.4 km @ 500 km

Simera Sense's MultiScape200 CIS is a multispectral push-broom imager for Earth Observation (EO) applications. It is based on a CMOS imaging sensor and a 7-band multispectral filter in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectral range. It provides continuous line-scan imaging in up to 7 spectral bands, each with digital time delay integration (dTDI).

mass

12.1 kg ± 2%

power consumption

2.5 W (idle or readout)
5.8 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

1.5 m @ 500 km

swath width

14 km @ 500 km

TriScape100

DATASHEET
CAD
ICD

Simera Sense's TriScape100 is a red-green-blue (RGB) colour snapshot imager for Earth Observation (EO) applications. It is based on a 12.6-megapixel CMOS imaging sensor with integrated RGB Bayer filter in the visible spectral range, and provides snapshot imaging with a frame rate of up to 150 full resolution frames per second (FPS).

mass

1.1 kg ± 5%

power consumption

2.5 W (idle or readout)
5.8 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

4.75 m @ 500 km

swath

N/A

TriScape200

DATASHEET
CAD
ICD

Simera Sense's TriScape200 is a red-green-blue (RGB) colour imager, as a primary payload for smallsats. It is based on a 65-megapixel CMOS imaging sensor with integrated RGB Bayer filter in the visible spectral range, and provides snapshot imaging with a frame rate of up to 30 full resolution frames per second (FPS) at 10-bit pixel depth.

mass

12.1 kg ± 2%

power consumption

2.5 W (idle or readout)
5.8 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

1.5 m @ 500 km

swath

N/A

Based on the ST200 Star Tracker platform and featuring a dedicated high-speed USB2.0 interface, the IM200 is capable of capturing 5 frames per second at full resolution. A large internal buffer allows storage of up to 25 full-frame images, which can be compressed into JPEGs for fast previewing.

mass

59 g (using 50mm F2.0 lens)

power consumption

700 mW typ.

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

The HRVI-6HD 2nd Generation is the latest version of BST's heritage line camera systems. It consists of three sub-units, the DCP (Dual Camera Payload) and two PLSU (Payload Support Unit), one attached to each of the DCP’s two optical heads. The HRVI-6HD 2nd Gen offers 4.6m GSD resolution imagery with a 70km swath. The hyperspectral version provides flexibility to adjust the GSD/SNR/spectral resolution to the mission's needs.

total mass

10.450 kg (PLSU + 2x DCP)

power consumption

N/A

resolution

4.6 m @ 500 km (Multispectral - PAN)
9.2 m @ 500 km (Multispectral - MS)
5.4 m @ 500 km (Super Spectral - MS)
27.6 m @ 500 km (Hyper Spectral - HS)

swath

70 km @ 500 km (Multi and Super Spectral)
27 km @ 500 km (Hyper Spectral)

An imaging system with a mass of < 3 kg, length of 240 mm, and diameter of 150 mm. Image data is captured directly on the integrated mass storage, from where it may be streamed to an OBC and downlinked at a data rate conveniently defined by the end user.

mass

< 3 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

6.5 m @ 500 km

swath

13 km @ 500 km

A 20 kg multispectral Earth Observation payload for small satellites. The unobscured Three Mirror Anastigmat (TMA) design maximizes MTF at high spatial frequencies, and multispectral, hyperspectral, PAN, and RGB functionalities are available.

mass

20 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

2.75 m @ 600 km (PAN/RGB)
5.5 m @ 600 km (MS)
5.5 to 11 m @ 600 km (HS)

swath

11 km @ 600 km (PAN, MS, HS)
22 km @ 600 km (RGB)

The KAIROSPACE 22mm Camera is a passive, self-focusing camera for agriculture, civilian, and scientific applications. It operates with a stable MTF in the temperature range -60 to +60 °C and has a 37 m spatial resolution @ 600 km, and a swath of 125 km at the same height.

mass

1000 ± 100 g

power consumption

N/A

spatial resolution

37 m @ 600 km (color)

swath

125 km @ 600 km

The KAIROSPACE 90mm Camera can be used for commercial and scientific remote sensing applications on a range of platforms starting at 6U CubeSats. Both monochrome and RGB functions are available.

mass

1.4 kg

power consumption

4.2 W

ground sample distance

5 m @ 400 km (color)
3 m @ 400 km (PAN)

swath

9.95 km @ 400 km

The KAIROSPACE 250mm Camera is a visible spectrum camera that is capable of in-orbit configurable GSD up to 2.5m. Developed as a payload for 16U CubeSats, the 250mm Camera can be used for Earth observation and for space observation.

mass

< 6 kg

power consumption

~15 W

ground sample distance

2.5 m @ 600 km

swath

25 km @ 600 km
50 km @ 600 km (CMOS sensor)

The KAIROSPACE 22mm Cluster Camera is a passive, self-focusing, multispectral, 4-cluster camera for scientific, civilian, and agriculture applications for remote sensing applications. It operates with a stable MTF in a temperature range of -60 to +60 °C, has a swath of 114 km @ 600 km, and a 37 m GSD at the same height.

mass

2300 ± 100

power consumption

12 W (15 W max) (1 camera)
48 W (15 W max) (4 cameras)

spatial resolution

37 m @ 600 km (color)

swath

114 km @ 600 km

The cosine Remote Sensing HyperScout 1 is a hyperspectral imaging camera with VNIR (450-950 nm) channels for nano, micro and larger satellites. The system features an athermal telescope system, BEE/OBDH, MMU and ICU. For accelerating machine vision tasks, the Vision Processing Unit (VPU) can be equipped optionally. The systems has achieved flight heritage.

mass

1.5 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

67 m @ 500 km
47 m @ 350 km

swath

280 km @ 500 km
195 km @ 350 km

The cosine Remote Sensing HyperScout 2 is a hyperspectral imaging camera with VNIR and TIR (8-14 µm) channels for nano, micro and larger satellites. The system features an athermal telescope system, BEE/OBDH, MMU and ICU. For accelerating machine vision tasks, the Vision Processing Unit (VPU) can be equipped optionally. The systems has achieved flight heritage.

mass

1.8 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

67 m @ 500 km
47 m @ 350 km
330 m @ 500 km (Thermal InfraRed Channel)
230 m @ 350 km (Thermal InfraRed Channel)

swath

280 km @ 500 km
195 km @ 350 km

C3D CubeSat Camera

DATASHEET
CAD
USER MANUAL
ICD

The XCAM C3D is a CubeSat camera system with proven flight-heritage having flown on both the UK Space Agency’s UKube-1 and AlSat Nano missions. The camera configuration is flexible with the ability to operate up to three camera heads per imager board. Imaging options include near- and far-field imaging, in RGB colour or black & white. C3D is customisable to cater for customers’ individual requirements.

mass

85 g (board + 1x WFI)

power consumption

845 mW peak

ground sample distance

360 m @ 650 km (other lens variants available)

swath

N/A

A satellite camera with a mass of less than 50 g and a ground sample distance of < 600 m @ 600 km. Can be used as an Earth Observation camera in LEO or as a monitoring camera on larger satellites.

mass

< 50 g

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 600 m @ 600 km

swath

N/A

The Jilin-1 satellite-borne visible spectral camera has a mass of 29 (± 0.2) kg and a multispectral ground sample distance (GSD) of < 5 m. It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of focal length and integral series, and covers 19 spectral bands.

mass

29 ± 0.2 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 5 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

The Jilin-1 satellite-borne visible spectral video camera has a mass of 4.5 (± 0.1) kg and is capable of in-orbit adjustment of focal length & integral series. It features PAN ground sample distance (GSD) of < 1.9 m and multispectral GSD of < 7.6 m, and covers the 437 to 720 nm (RGB) spectral band.

mass

4.5 ± 0.1 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 1.9 m (PAN)
< 7.6 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

The Jilin-1 satellite-borne visible spectral video camera has a mass of 5 (± 0.2) kg and is capable of in-orbit adjustment of focal length and integral series. It features a PAN GSD of < 2 m, covers the 437 to 720 nm (RGB) spectral band, and is applicable in various spectral RS video satellites.

mass

5 ± 0.2 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 2 m (PAN)

swath

N/A

The Jilin-1 satellite-borne visible spectral video camera has a mass of 40 (± 0.5) kg and is capable of in-orbit adjustment of focal length and integral series. It features a PAN GSD of < 0.7 m, a multispectral GSD of < 2.8 m, covers the 437 to 720 nm (RGB) spectral band. It is also applicable in various spectral RS video satellites.

mass

40 ± 0.5 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 0.7 m (PAN)
< 2.8 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of 5.0 ± 0.2 kg. The system has a ground sample distance (GSD) of < 10 m (PAN) and < 40 m (multispectral) and covers a number of spectral bands, from 450 to 1040 nm. It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of focal length and integral series, and is applicable for various spectral RS video satellites.

mass

5.0 ± 0.2 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 10 m (PAN)
< 40 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of 6.2 ± 0.1 kg. The system has a ground sample distance (GSD) of < 2.5 m (PAN) and < 10 m (multispectral) and covers a number of spectral bands, from 400 to 895 nm. It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of focal length and integral series, and is applicable for various spectral RS video satellites.

mass

6.2 ± 0.1 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 2.5 m (PAN)
< 10 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of 4.5 ± 0.1 kg. The system has a ground sample distance (GSD) of < 1.5 m (PAN) and covers the spectral band from 450 to 750 nm (PAN). It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of integral series and focal length, and is applicable for a numbr of spectral RS video satellites.

mass

4.5 ± 0.1 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 1.9 m (PAN)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of 5.0 ± 0.2 kg. The system has a ground sample distance (GSD) of < 1 m PAN and < 4 m multispectral, and covers a number of spectral bands from 430 to 900 nm. It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of integral series and focal length, and is applicable for a numbr of spectral RS video satellites.

mass

5.0 ± 0.2 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 1 m (PAN)
< 4 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of 4.0 ± 0.5 kg. The system has a ground sample distance (GSD) of < 0.7 m PAN and < 2.8 m multispectral, and covers a number of spectral bands from 450 to 895 nm. It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of integral series and focal length, and is applicable for a numbr of spectral RS video satellites.

mass

40 ± 0.5 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 0.7 m (PAN)
< 2.8 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of 81 ± 0.5 kg. The system has a ground sample distance (GSD) of < 0.76 m PAN and < 3.1 m multispectral, and covers a number of spectral bands from 450 to 895 nm. It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of integral series and focal length, and is applicable for a numbr of spectral RS video satellites.

mass

81 ± 0.5 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 0.76 m (PAN)
< 3.1 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of 600 ± 2 kg. The system has a ground sample distance (GSD) of < 1 m PAN and < 4 m multispectral, and covers a number of spectral bands from 450 to 895 nm. It is capable of in-orbit adjustment of integral series and focal length, and is applicable for a numbr of spectral RS video satellites.

mass

600 ± 2 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

< 1 m (PAN)
< 4 m (Multispectral)

swath

N/A

This Push-Broom Camera is borne by a Jilin-1 satellite and has a mass of < 1100 kg. The system has GSD of ≤ 0.5 m (PAN), ≤ 2 m (Standard MS), ≤ 4 m (Extended MS), and ≤ 5 m (SWIR). It operates across several spectral bands (from 450 to 1690 nm), is capable of in-orbit adjustment of integral series and focal length, and is applicable for a number of spectral RS video satellites.

mass

< 1100 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

≤ 0.5 m (PAN)
≤ 2 m (Standard multispectral)
≤ 4 m (Extended multispectral)
≤ 5 m (SWIR)

swath

N/A

A 330 g (without optics) Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR), uncooled microbolometer camera, providing thermal images and video as an in-flight engineering diagnostic tool, to detect objects with thermal signatures, or to make general observations in complete darkness.

mass

330 g (without optics)

power consumption

6.5 W (idle)
8.75 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

A 256 g (without optics) camera that utilizes a CMOS image sensor with integral RGB Bayer Pattern color filter array. The sensor outputs 10-bit pixels that are square-root companded to 8-bits before being transmitted to the DVR on a 100 Mbit/s serial link.

mass

256 g (without optics)

power consumption

1.75 W (idle)
2.5 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

The 256 g (without optics) C50 utilizes a CMOS image sensor with integral RGB Bayer Pattern color filter array. The sensor outputs 10-bit pixels that are square-root companded to 8-bits before being transmitted to the DVR on a 200 Mbit/s serial link. The system operates in 3 color bands; 400 to 500 nm (blue), 500 to 575 nm (green), and 575 to 750 nm (red).

mass

256 g (without optics)

power consumption

1.75 W (idle)
2.5 W (imaging)

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

The DISC cameras are radiation-tolerant (100 krad) visible cameras for small satellites. With masses of less than 0.7 kg, the cameras enable on-orbit image control, including windowing, binning, adjustable frame rates, and adjustable integration times.

mass

< 0.7 kg

power consumption

> 1 W (framerate dependent)

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

Designed for use with nanosats and microsats, the SpaceView™ 24 model weighs less than 10 kg and has a power rating of 10 W. The system has a 0.24 m aperture and achieves a GSD of 0.9 to 1.1 m @ 500 km. It can also offer the potential to capitalize on standard ESPA APL envelope configurations.

mass

< 10 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

0.9 to 1.1 m @ 500 km

swath

N/A

Designed for use with nanosats and microsats, the SpaceView™ 35 model weighs 20 - 35 kg and has a power rating of 70 - 170 W. The system has a 0.35 m aperture and achieves a GSD of 0.7 to 1.0 m @ 500 km. It can also offer the potential to capitalize on standard ESPA APL envelope configurations.

mass

20 to 35 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

0.7 to 1.0 m @ 500 km

swath

N/A

Designed for use with nanosats and microsats, the SpaceView™ 42 model weighs 25 - 40 kg and has a power rating of 70 - 170 W. The system has a 0.42 m aperture and achieves a GSD of 0.5 to 0.75 m @ 500 km. It can also offer the potential to capitalize on standard ESPA APL envelope configurations.

mass

25 to 40 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

0.5 to 0.75 m @ 500 km

swath

N/A

Designed for use with smallsats, the SpaceView™ 50 model has a mass of 90 - 130 kg and power rating of 200 - 275 W. The system has an aperture of 0.5 m and offers the ability to use two different camera modalities in one payload. It also achieves a ground sample distance of 0.35 to 0.5 m @ 500 km.

mass

90 to 130 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

0.35 to 0.5 m @ 500 km

swath

N/A

Designed for use with smallsats, the SpaceView™ 80 model has a mass of 150 - 225 kg and power rating of 250 - 350 W. The system has an aperture of 0.8 m and offers the ability to use two different camera modalities in one payload. It also achieves a ground sample distance of 0.22 to 0.35 m @ 500 km.

mass

150 to 225 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

0.22 to 0.35 m @ 500 km

swath

N/A

A high resolution flight camera designed for low earth orbit (LEO) applications including docking, navigation, inspection, and situational awareness. The system features GigE Vision® image streaming over 1 Gb/s Ethernet, has a mass of 180g (without optics), and a typical power consumption of 5VDC @ 400mA (full resolution, 10 fps).

mass

< 180g without optics

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A


Monitoring cameras

In this section you can find cameras that are used to image the satellite (or other spacecraft) itself.

These are typically used to visually confirm processes such as the successful implementation of solar panels or other deployable systems, or the docking of external vehicles.

The DCUBED Space Selfie Stick (D3S3) is a deployable camera system that deploys a commercial selfie camera to a distance of 80cm. It employs a DCUBED Release Nut (nD3RN) as a launch lock, which safely holds the camera module to the D3S3’s body until deployment in orbit.

mass

< 0.5 kg

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

The Scanway Spacecraft Health Scanner (SHS) is a health monitoring sub-system consisting of detectors, and data processing and transmission modules. Scanway offers these systems for implementation on various different types of spacecraft, such as satellites or rockets.

mass

N/A

power consumption

N/A

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

A monitoring unit consisting of a floodlight, a camera, and a camera controller to take pictures of deployments of satellite-mounted solar battery paddles and antennas. The system has a mass of 5.2 kg and has a total power consumption of 21.4 W. It features vibration- and shock-proofing, and the ability to provide either still image or video outputs.

total mass

~5200 g

total power consumption

21.4 W

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A

The SkyFox Labs piCAM is a Space-Friendly™ Digital CubeSat Camera designed to provide colorful imaging in JPEG format and VGA resolution on-board small satellites, with external flashlight control signal. By default the optics feature a 76° FOV with IR-cut filter, and the camera can be configured in several other settings.

mass

40 g

power consumption

315 mW

ground sample distance

~300 m @ 550 km SSO

swath

N/A

The Infinity Avionics SelfieCam Engineering Camera is a flight-proven, low-resolution camera for deployment monitoring, orientation identification or low-resolution Earth imaging. On-board JPEG encoding enables small image sizes in order to support data downlink with weaker communication links.

mass

10 g

power consumption

< 750 mW

ground sample distance

N/A

swath

N/A


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