Session
Flash Talk Session 4
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
The Atlantic Constellation (AC) was launched politically by Portugal and Spain in 2021 as an initiative to develop an Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation capable of delivering multispectral optical imagery at high revisit. The Constellation has evolved over time and is an anchor programme of the Portuguese National Space Strategy. It entails optical VHR satellites as well as SAR observation capabilities. Sharing the same ground and data infrastructure, the constellation will provide coverages at < 1m and images below 50 cm resolution with daily access time based on tasked imaging acquisitions. This constellation will constitute a strategic autonomy asset capable of serving a broad field of sectors, such as Defence, Maritime, Agriculture, Security and Disaster monitoring. As the leader of the VHR space segment component of the AC, and its main industrial partner, N3O faces diverse technical and programmatic challenges. The major challenge arises from the growing commercial demand for rapid access to orbit, which shortens the development and integration timelines imposed by customers. This demand leads to wider adoption for off-the-shelf components. The VHR satellites are a product of this philosophy. One of the major drivers is tailoring the mission requirements to accommodate what standard VHR payloads and small satellite platforms in the market can offer, and what their interfaces can support. Another challenge is maintaining a low orbit altitude, due to limited low thrust system and power capabilities that keep cost and complexity manageable, while ensuring the target 50 cm Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) and fulfilling the updated space debris regulation to decay within 5 years. Moreover, these commercial space products do not always follow standard processes and specifications (e.g. ECSS, MIL), making co-engineering effort and heritage knowledge key for satellite design and verification activities. Opportunities for rideshare and small satellite launch service providers are growing, together with the diverse market on Ground Stations services. Lastly, the development of dedicated in-house facilities and planning for the assembly, integration and test (AIT) phase of the VHR satellites, built from scratch, and based on space industry best practices and standards, all combine to make this one of the most ambitious space programmes ever carried out in Portugal.
Document Type
Event
The Atlantic Constellation Very High Resolution, A Small Satellite Approach Achieving High-Performance Optical Imagery
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
The Atlantic Constellation (AC) was launched politically by Portugal and Spain in 2021 as an initiative to develop an Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation capable of delivering multispectral optical imagery at high revisit. The Constellation has evolved over time and is an anchor programme of the Portuguese National Space Strategy. It entails optical VHR satellites as well as SAR observation capabilities. Sharing the same ground and data infrastructure, the constellation will provide coverages at < 1m and images below 50 cm resolution with daily access time based on tasked imaging acquisitions. This constellation will constitute a strategic autonomy asset capable of serving a broad field of sectors, such as Defence, Maritime, Agriculture, Security and Disaster monitoring. As the leader of the VHR space segment component of the AC, and its main industrial partner, N3O faces diverse technical and programmatic challenges. The major challenge arises from the growing commercial demand for rapid access to orbit, which shortens the development and integration timelines imposed by customers. This demand leads to wider adoption for off-the-shelf components. The VHR satellites are a product of this philosophy. One of the major drivers is tailoring the mission requirements to accommodate what standard VHR payloads and small satellite platforms in the market can offer, and what their interfaces can support. Another challenge is maintaining a low orbit altitude, due to limited low thrust system and power capabilities that keep cost and complexity manageable, while ensuring the target 50 cm Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) and fulfilling the updated space debris regulation to decay within 5 years. Moreover, these commercial space products do not always follow standard processes and specifications (e.g. ECSS, MIL), making co-engineering effort and heritage knowledge key for satellite design and verification activities. Opportunities for rideshare and small satellite launch service providers are growing, together with the diverse market on Ground Stations services. Lastly, the development of dedicated in-house facilities and planning for the assembly, integration and test (AIT) phase of the VHR satellites, built from scratch, and based on space industry best practices and standards, all combine to make this one of the most ambitious space programmes ever carried out in Portugal.
