Microsatellite platforms are of increasing interest to mission designers and satellite service operators around the world.
Reduced launch costs have made heavier systems more affordable, and innovation in sub-systems means that mission designers have more options for useful equipment that they may want to take on-board.
For Earth Observation purposes there are also fundamental limits on how small aperture sizes can be in order to achieve certain resolutions. The more accuracy you need, the larger the optical payload has to be; and so the bigger the satellite.
Microsatellite platforms and buses have been developed to meet these industry demands, and in this webinar you can hear from four expert manufacturers in this market segment discuss some of the opportunities they can bring to missions, and provide technical information on how to work with such technologies.
Presenters
The presenters in this webinar were all experienced manufacturers of platforms for microsatellites and are paying members of the satsearch membership program.
The individual slide decks for the presentations are freely available on each company’s supplier hub linked to below, alongside each speaker’s details:
- Berlin Space Technologies
- NanoAvionics (slide deck currently unavailable)
- ReOrbit
- Space Inventor
Microsatellite products
The following systems are all manufactured by the satsearch members who presented in the webinar and were each referenced in the talks, or are related to the products discussed:
The Berlin Space Technologies LEOS-50MR is a second generation small satellite platform. It is mainly suitable for use in NewSpace missions. BST suggests using the satellite for payloads with up to 15kg mass like our HRVI-6HD 2nd Generation.
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The LEOS-50HR is based on the second generation of LEOS-50 satellites. It is a small satellite platform for medium sized payloads. BST suggests using the satellite for payloads with up to 30kg mass like our HRVI-2HD.
LEOS-100 takes small satellites above and beyond. It builds on the proven LEOS-50 avionics but pulls all the stops on performance. There are two versions of LEOS-100: LEOS-100HR with body-mounted panels supports large high precision instruments with 50cm GSD earth observation and LEOS-100HP supports Missions up to 2kW power requirement and up to 120kg∙m² system moment of inertia.
LEOS-100 takes small satellites above and beyond. It builds on the proven LEOS-50 avionics but pulls all the stops on performance. There are two versions of LEOS-100: LEOS-100HR with body-mounted panels supports large high precision instruments with 50cm GSD earth observation and LEOS-100HP supports missions up to 2kW power requirement and up to 120kg∙m² system moment of inertia.
The Kongsberg NanoAvionics MP42H is a Microsatellite bus designed for space applications. It is a versatile system and has been optimized for high data throughput and complex communications missions and services. It is also suitable for research projects, emergency communications, and remote sensing services, and can be adapted to such applications with minimal reconfiguration.
The Kongsberg NanoAvionics M16P is a 16U nanosatellite bus designed for NewSpace applications. It is designed to provide a pre-integrated and pre-qualified platform that is fully tested electrically, functionally, and mechanically for a faster and simpler setup. NanoAvionics offers three M16P nanosatellite standard performance configurations – Light, Mid, and Max – providing options that best match customers’ payload, mission objectives, and budget.
The ReOrbit Gluon Endure is a microsatellite platform optimized for high autonomy, fault tolerance and in-orbit networking. It is designed for LEO, MEO, GEO orbits and deep space missions, particularly for Earth Observation (EO) and orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) applications. The design follows a payload-agnostic approach, maximizing service availability and cost effectiveness. The Gluon family of products is scalable from 150 kg to 500 kg platforms.
The ReOrbit Gluon Explorer is a microsatellite platform optimized for high autonomy, fault tolerance and in-orbit networking. It is designed for MEO, GEO and deep space orbits, particularly for GNSS, data relays, Satcom and Earth Observation (EO) applications. The design follows a payload-agnostic approach, maximizing service availability and cost effectiveness. The Gluon family of products is scalable from 150 kg to 500 kg platforms.
The ReOrbit Gluon Lite is a microsatellite platform optimized for high autonomy, fault tolerance and in-orbit networking. It is designed for LEO orbits, particularly for Earth Observation (EO) constellations. The design follows a payload-agnostic approach, maximizing service availability and cost effectiveness. The Gluon family is scalable up to 500 kg platforms.
The Space Inventor 6U satellite is a platform configured from modular subsystems suitable for IOD, scientific, educational, BIU and IoT missions. The basic subsystems include power plant for power generation, conditioning and distribution, on-board data handling, communication to ground segment, and attitude determination and control system.
The Space Inventor 12U satellite is a platform configured from modular subsystems suitable for IOD, scientific, educational, BIU and IoT missions. The basic subsystems include power plant for power generation, conditioning and distribution, on-board data handling, communication to ground segment, and attitude determination and control system.
The Space Inventor 16U is a platform configured from modular subsystems and is available for geostationary orbit missions. The basic subsystems include power plant for power generation, conditioning and distribution, on-board data handling, communication to ground segment, and attitude determination and control system.
The Space Inventor Microsatellite is a customizable platform configured from modular subsystems and is available for geostationary orbit missions. The platform integration by design provides 360° access to all the internal systems. The basic subsystems include power plant for power generation, conditioning and distribution, on-board data handling, communication to ground segment, and attitude determination and control system.