Session
Technical Session I: National Needs & Objectives
Abstract
In 2000, Cnes (French space agency) decided to initiate the Pleiades program consisting in a constellation of European satellite components dedicated to Earth observation. Astrium is in charge of the first French component, named Pleiades High Resolution, as satellite prime contractor. This satellite aims at fulfilling the needs of French and Italian governments, for both civilian and military users, in metric-class optical observation at the 2006 horizon. This small satellite weighting around 900 kg will orbit at 695 km on a Sun synchronous orbit. It will provide colored images of more than 20 km swath, with a panchromatic resolution better than 1 meter, and a multi-spectral resolution of 2.8 m at nadir. The image data handling chain will make maximum use of the onboard 600 Gbits solid state mass memory, and of the downlink at 600 Mbps in X-band. The satellite will provide high image quality performances, characterized by a highly stable dynamic behavior, and an autonomous image location better than 20 m (maximum). This highly agile spacecraft will maneuver 60 deg in less than 25 sec. To support those performances, new technologies will be used, such as light material with high thermal stability for the instrument structure, integrated detection electronics near the focal plane, Control Moment Gyros for agility, Fiber Optic Gyros for high accuracy attitude measurement, Li-ion batteries and triple junction solar cells for a power system maximum efficiency. After a short mission introduction, the paper presents the satellite design with its different functional chains. The satellite performances are then presented.
Pleiades High Resolution Satellite : A Solution for Military and Civilian Needs in Metric-Class Optical Observation
In 2000, Cnes (French space agency) decided to initiate the Pleiades program consisting in a constellation of European satellite components dedicated to Earth observation. Astrium is in charge of the first French component, named Pleiades High Resolution, as satellite prime contractor. This satellite aims at fulfilling the needs of French and Italian governments, for both civilian and military users, in metric-class optical observation at the 2006 horizon. This small satellite weighting around 900 kg will orbit at 695 km on a Sun synchronous orbit. It will provide colored images of more than 20 km swath, with a panchromatic resolution better than 1 meter, and a multi-spectral resolution of 2.8 m at nadir. The image data handling chain will make maximum use of the onboard 600 Gbits solid state mass memory, and of the downlink at 600 Mbps in X-band. The satellite will provide high image quality performances, characterized by a highly stable dynamic behavior, and an autonomous image location better than 20 m (maximum). This highly agile spacecraft will maneuver 60 deg in less than 25 sec. To support those performances, new technologies will be used, such as light material with high thermal stability for the instrument structure, integrated detection electronics near the focal plane, Control Moment Gyros for agility, Fiber Optic Gyros for high accuracy attitude measurement, Li-ion batteries and triple junction solar cells for a power system maximum efficiency. After a short mission introduction, the paper presents the satellite design with its different functional chains. The satellite performances are then presented.
