 | SSTL Microsatellite
Credit - NASA
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Manufacturer's Designation: Microsat SSTL. Class: Technology. Destination: Medium Earth Orbit. Nation: UK. Manufacturer: Surrey. Basic Surrey Microsat bus. SSTL used the MicroSat-70 platform for missions ranging from 50 to 70 kg total mass. It employed an adaptable, modular design capable of supporting a wide range of missions, with payloads of up to 25 kg.
Mechanically, the MicroSat-70 consisted of a stack of modular trays, containing all avionics and some of the payload electronics. These trays formed the mechanical structure of the spacecraft, providing a very efficient use of the internal volume. Above the main module stack was a payload bay dedicated to the mission payloads.
The MicroSat-70 was compatible with an extremely wide range of launch vehicles, and was successfully launched on Ariane-4, Zenit, Kosmos, Tsyklon, Athena and Dnepr.
Within its efficient, proven mechanical structure, the MicroSat-70 carried a customized complement of avionics selected from SSTL's extensive range of flight-proven systems. Typical avionics configurations featured dual redundancy of all key systems, with options for data storage, data processing and downlinking on various frequencies to meet mission requirements.
The platform could be configured for nadir pointing or inertial pointing missions, using momentum bias, zero bias, or gravity-gradient actuators.
The MicroSat-70 supported earth observation, communications and technology demonstration missions for civil and military use. It was available through the NASA Rapid Spacecraft Development Office catalogue for extremely rapid procurement by U.S. government agencies. Typical orbit: 812 km circular orbit, 91.4 deg inclination. Mass: 70 kg (154 lb). Payload: 25 kg (55 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Ariane 4, Ariane 42P, Delta 2000, Delta 3000, Kosmos 11K65M, R-36M2, Tsyklon 3, Zenit-2.
MicroSat-70 Chronology - 1990 January 22 - Oscar 15 - Program: Oscar. Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 4. Mass: 48 kg (105 lb). Perigee: 784 km (487 mi). Apogee: 798 km (495 mi). Inclination: 98.60 deg. Period: 100.70 min.
Technology demonstration mission carrying transponder, solar cell, CCD camera technology experiments. Customer: University of Surrey/European Space Agency. Launched alongside UoSAT-3, the microsatellite operated perfectly for 2 days before a failure occured in the downlink. Owner/operator University of Surrey, Dept of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH. Box shaped 350 x 350 x 650 mm. Four solar panels and 6 m gravity gradient boom.
- 1992 August 10 - S80/T - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 42P. Mass: 50 kg (110 lb). Perigee: 1,308 km (812 mi). Apogee: 1,322 km (821 mi). Inclination: 66.10 deg. Period: 111.90 min.
An industrial research microsatellite built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) for Matra and CNES to carry out 'Little LEO' communications service experiments. Still operational in 2000. S80/T was designed to investigate the technical feasibility of using a constellation of small satellites placed in near-Earth orbit to provide global communications and position location using only hand-held terminals. S80/T was the first fully commercial application of the SSTL multi-mission, modular microsatellite platform developed at the University of Surrey. The same basic platform was also used for the Korean KITSAT-A microsatellite, which accompanied S80/T into orbit on the same launch. The S80/T mission was completed, from concept to launch, within one year and SSTL delivered the platform, associated groundstation equipment and would be providing operations support during the mission within a contract of less than £1M.
- 1993 September 26 - Posat 1 - Program: Oscar. Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 4. Mass: 50 kg (110 lb). Perigee: 789 km (490 mi). Apogee: 801 km (497 mi). Inclination: 98.30 deg. Period: 100.80 min.
Portugal's first satellite achieved through a technology transfer programme with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Carried store and forward, DSP communications, GPS and Earth observation payloads. Still operational in 2000. Additional Details: Posat 1 (4465).
- 1993 September 26 - Healthsat 2 - Program: Oscar. Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 4. Mass: 48 kg (105 lb). Perigee: 789 km (490 mi). Apogee: 803 km (498 mi). Inclination: 98.70 deg. Period: 100.80 min.
Customer: SateLife. Store and forward communications satellite operating in the SatelLife 'HealthNet' LEO satellite communications network for remote regions. Still operational as of 2000.
Healthsat - II joined UoSAT-3/HealthSat-I as the second microsatellite in the HealthNet global communications system of SatelLife, a U.S. not-for-profit organisation. HealthNet, which was licensed in eighteen countries in Africa and Latin America, was providing desperately needed low cost 'last mile' communication links between medical institutions and health programmes in the developing world.
The HealthSat-II mission was completed, from concept to launch, within one year. SSTL were responsible for all the programmatic aspects of the mission including procuring the launch slot on the Ariane ASAP and arranging suitable insurance for the launch and early commissioning phase - all within a total contract price of £1M.Additional Details: Healthsat 2 (4462).
- 2000 June 28 - Tsinghua - Launch Site: Plesetsk. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. Mass: 50 kg (110 lb). Perigee: 687 km (427 mi). Apogee: 713 km (443 mi). Inclination: 98.14 deg. Period: 98.68 min.
Tsinghua University of Beijing satellite equipped with an imager, communications payload, and momentum wheels for 3-axis stabilisation. The 50 kg, 0.69 x 0.36 x 0.36m box-shaped satellite used a standard Surrey SSTL microsat bus.Tsinghua-1 was the first demonstrator for the planned Disaster Monitoring Constellation and carried a multi-spectral Earth imaging camera providing 39-metre nadir ground resolution in 3 spectral bands. The satellite also carried out research in low Earth orbit using digital store-and-forward communications, a digital signal processing (DSP) experiment, a Surrey-built GPS space receiver and a new 3-axis microsat attitude control experiment. Tsinghua-1 used the SGR-10, with 12 channels and equipped with two receive antennas, to investigate the use of GPS signals in microsat on-board attitude and orbit determination. In October 2000 Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) released a picture of Tsinghua-1 taken in orbit by the SNAP-1 6.5 kg nanosatellite.
- 2000 September 26 - Tiungsat-1 - Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: R-36M2. Mass: 50 kg (110 lb). Perigee: 644 km (400 mi). Apogee: 658 km (409 mi). Inclination: 64.56 deg. Period: 97.67 min.
Launch delayed from August 25/26. Customer: Astonautic Technology (M) SDN. BHD. Malaysia's first microsatellite built through a technology transfer programme with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd Carried multi-spectral Earth imaging CCD cameras, meteorological Earth imaging CCD camera, digital store and forward communications, cosmic-ray energy deposition experiment (CEDEX)
- 2001 September 30 - Picosat - Launch Site: Kodiak. Launch Vehicle: Athena-1. Mass: 67 kg (147 lb). Perigee: 794 km (493 mi). Apogee: 794 km (493 mi). Inclination: 67.00 deg.
STP P97-1 Picosat was built by Surrey Satellite for the USAF using a Uosat-type bus. The 68 kg satellite was to test electronic components/systems in space conditions. It carried four test payloads: Polymer Battery Experiment (PBEX), Ionospheric Occultation Experiment (IOX), Coherent Electromagnetic Radio Tomagraphy (CERTO) and an ultra-quiet platform (OPPEX). Called Picosat 9 by some Agencies although not related to other satellites in that series.
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