Session
Technical Session IX: The Year In Retrospect
Abstract
The Disaster Monitoring Constellation consists of a series of four spacecraft built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. The aim of the constellation is to be able to perform daily revisits over any point on the Earth such that 32m resolution images can be taken. These images can be used for daily monitoring of natural and man-made disasters. The constellation is made up of four spacecraft. Alsat-1, is an 88 kg microsatellite, which was launched on 28th Nov 2002, for the Algerian national space agency CNTS. It was joined in orbit by three additional microsatellites on 27th September 2003, Nisat-1 (Nigerian national space agency), Bilsat-1 (Tubitak Bilten, Turkey) and UK-DMC (British National Space Centre). In order to exploit small satellites in constellations, a number of key technologies must be utilised. These include precise navigation, propulsion, and coordinated maneuvers planning. This paper describes the spacecraft, the key technologies and how they were used to form the four spacecraft into a working constellation.
Presentation Slides
Commissioning of a Small Satellite Constellation - Methods and Lessons Learned
The Disaster Monitoring Constellation consists of a series of four spacecraft built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. The aim of the constellation is to be able to perform daily revisits over any point on the Earth such that 32m resolution images can be taken. These images can be used for daily monitoring of natural and man-made disasters. The constellation is made up of four spacecraft. Alsat-1, is an 88 kg microsatellite, which was launched on 28th Nov 2002, for the Algerian national space agency CNTS. It was joined in orbit by three additional microsatellites on 27th September 2003, Nisat-1 (Nigerian national space agency), Bilsat-1 (Tubitak Bilten, Turkey) and UK-DMC (British National Space Centre). In order to exploit small satellites in constellations, a number of key technologies must be utilised. These include precise navigation, propulsion, and coordinated maneuvers planning. This paper describes the spacecraft, the key technologies and how they were used to form the four spacecraft into a working constellation.
