PROGRESS IN SMALL SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY FOR EARTH OBSERVATION MISSIONS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The value of Small Earth Observation satellites can be measured directly by considering the lifecycle cost of the system, and the amount of valuable data delivered in its lifetime. In practice this needs to be validated by a science case or business plan, which assigns a market value to the data, and considers many of the underlying issues. These include the applications of the data, its quality, whether the data is perishable or retains its value, and whether there are alternative means of obtaining the data. Increasingly, small Earth Observation satellites operating within groups are considered to offer good value and utility, and are able to offer services that cannot be practically offered by deploying larger spacecraft. This is as a direct consequence of the growth in capability of small satellites in recent years. A constellation of small satellites has the benefit of increasing temporal resolution, and when coupled with significantly lower unit costs, can support niche markets that are otherwise economically unviable. It is anticipated that small satellites will make a significant input into the economic viability of commercial Earth Observation. Against a backdrop of benchmarking technology and performance trends in small Earth Observation satellites, this paper describes some of the advanced small satellite platform designs being developed at Surrey.