Over the last three decades, SSTL have delivered 47 small satellites for a range of applications including Earth Observation, Communications, Navigation, Science and Technology Demonstration. Schedule, price and reliability are very important factors for all satellite users, and commercial spacecraft operators are increasingly considering using groups of satellites working as part of a coordinated constellation.
In Canada SSTL has successfully worked with a number of space industry partners to deliver the RapidEye Constellation of 5 Satellites, the ExactView-1 satellite, and the recently successful Sapphire satellite which launched in 2013 as part of Canada’s Surveillance of Space (SofS) Programme. In addition to provision of complete Satellite platforms, SSTL continues to work on Canadian Space Agency funded studies through active collaborations with Canadian academic and industry partners.
SSTL continues to drive innovation in small satellites through a new investment programme designed to offer additional improved performance of current SSTL small satellite platforms at a similar or lower mass, but with significantly reduced schedule and price. SSTL has investigated, qualified and implemented a new satellite platform production process, alongside the development of a new set of avionics. The process makes significant use of modern automated manufacture and test techniques, and the avionics are designed taking this production process into consideration.
The first spacecraft using this newly developed bus is already under contract and in production for launch in 2017.
This paper will provide an overview of the work SSTL has conducted on its new ‘design-for-manufacture’ approach and provide an example platform configuration for Space Surveillance and Situation awareness.
