TopSat 1 & Others

SSTL is developing the TopSat (Tactical Optical Satellite) enhanced microsatellite bus as a subcontractor to QinetiQ, for the UK Government. TopSat is jointly funded by the British National Space Centre (BNSC) Microsatellite Applications in Collaboration (MOSAIC) programme and the Ministry of Defence. TopSat's primary mission is to demonstrate that a microsatellite can provide responsive high-resolution imaging, with 2.5 meter-resolution images delivered directly from the satellite to ground terminals within the same footprint.

SSTL has developed the China DMC+4 microsatellite, renamed Beijing 1 after launch, for the Beijing Landview Mapping Information Technology Ltd (BLMIT). The China DMC+4 enhanced microsatellite is an Earth observation spacecraft that combines SSTL's standard Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) multispectral camera with a high resolution panchromatic imager. The customised microsatellite has specific enhancements to provide accommodation for the two imagers: a 32 m multispectral imager currently flown on AlSAT-1, UK-DMC and NigeriaSat-1, plus a new 4 m panchromatic imager developed under contract to SIRA Electro-Optics Ltd. The satellite bus provides highly agile attitude control to provide accurate pointing and the knowledge necessary for the mapping requirements of the mission.

The SSETI Express (Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative - Express) mission is an educational mission that shall deploy CUBESAT pico-satellites developed by universities, take pictures of Earth, act as a test-bed and technology demonstration for hardware of the complementary project: the European Student Earth Orbiter, and function as an radio transponder for the rest of its mission duration.

Mozhayets 5 is an experimental satellite built partly by students at the Mozhaiskiy military academy and is carrying a laser communications experiment. Mozhaets 5 was built on a spacecraft bus donated by NPO Polyot. It was to test long distance optical and Laser communications systems. It failed to separate from the launch vehicle and controllers haven't established communications with it.

Sina 1 is Irans first satellite. This satellite is a 160 kg experimental payload built by Russia's Polyot, based in Omsk. The satellite is built on the Sterkh bus. Some reports indicate an imaging payload, others a communications payload.

UWE-1 (University of Würzburg's Experimental) satellite was used to test adaptations of internet protocols to the space environment, characterized by significant signal propagation delays due to the large distances and much higher noise levels compared to terrestrial links. Establishment of a satellite ground control.

The code name of ISSL's CubeSat is "XI" (X-factor Investigator). This derives from its cubic shape (XI means domino in Japanese). The XI mission is on-orbit verifications of the technology necessary for super-small satellite system. Acquiring indispensable technology on spacecraft, such as communication, power and electronics, it will establish the development methodology of the small satellite. And by extensively using commercial-off-the-shell components, the total development cost will be drastically reduced and a database on the space-use of the COTS parts will be built. A number of Cubesat-XI prototypes have been built - the fourth is the first flight model with the fifth being its backup.

The Norwegian Student Satellite Project Ncube (Norwegian Cubesat) aims to design, build, integrate, test and launch a small satellite in order to provide students in Norwegian educational institutions.

Rubin-5-ASOLANT is a technology/communications payload using the Orbcomm system; it remains intentionally attached to the rocket final stage (in fact, it is part of the adapter used to deploy the other satellites). It includes the AATiS SAFIR-S amateur transponder and the ESA ASOLANT (Advanced Solar Antenna) solar-powered GPS antenna experiment. The Mozhayets-5 failed to separate from the payload addpator and stayed connected with the upper stage and Rubin-5.