From TechnoSat to TUBIN: performance upgrade for the TUBiX20 microsatellite platform based on flight experience
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ORIGINAL PAPER
From TechnoSat to TUBIN: performance upgrade for the TUBiX20 microsatellite platform based on flight experience Karsten Gordon1 · Merlin F. Barschke2 · Philipp Werner2 Received: 9 September 2019 / Revised: 4 December 2019 / Accepted: 30 December 2019 © CEAS 2020
Abstract On July 14th, 2017, the 20 kg satellite TechnoSat was carried into orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome as the first satellite based on Technische Universität Berlin’s novel modular TUBiX20 microsatellite platform. Its mission is the in-orbit demonstration of the platform and seven additional payloads. The second mission based on TUBiX20 is TUBIN, which is scheduled for launch in 2020. The satellite carries two infrared imagers accompanied by a camera for the visible light spectrum and shall demonstrate wildfire detection from orbit. While the platform concept already proved itself successful during TechnoSat operations, its performance needs to be further enhanced for TUBIN to meet the requirements of its Earth observation payload. This paper describes the upgrade of the TUBiX20 platform according to the requirements of the TUBIN mission. Here, the focus is set on illustrating how the modular platform design allows scaling the performance while at the same time keeping the modifications to the flight-proven system at a minimum. Second, the paper gives insights into the results of the TechnoSat mission and outlines how the experience gained in orbit benefits the platform upgrade for TUBIN. Keywords Microsatellite · In-orbit demonstration · Modular satellite platform
1 Introduction Over the last decade, the number of satellites launched with a mass of below 50 kg has increased drastically [22], and the complexity of their missions has evolved from simple education and technology demonstration to advanced Earth observation constellations using several hundred individual spacecrafts. The comparatively low unit costs and the technological evolution of miniaturized components mainly driven by the consumer electronics industry make such nano- and microsatellites especially attractive. Due to the range of possible applications, many satellite developers establish platform concepts to support several
* Karsten Gordon [email protected] Merlin F. Barschke merlin.barschke@tu‑berlin.de Philipp Werner philipp.werner@tu‑berlin.de 1
Spacegramming, Bergerweg 4, 83707 Ringsee, Germany
Technische Universität Berlin, Chair of Space Technology, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
2
missions with a similar design. Here, the platform architecture, but also the design process must be tailored to the individual requirements of a specific mission or payload. However, even when an existing service is continued and the requirements remain the same, a platform still needs to support upgrades regarding performance or robustness to be competitive [8]. As a consequence, reusability, modularity and robustness are the key requirements for a successful platform design. Technische Universität Berlin has been developing satellites f
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