Surrey Satellite Technology
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a spin-off company of the University of Surrey, now fully owned by EADS Astrium, that builds and operates small satellites. Its satellites began as amateur radio satellites known by the UoSAT (University of Surrey SATELLITE) name or by an OSCAR (Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) designation. SSTL cooperates with the University's Surrey Space Centre, which does research into satellite and space topics.
Recently SSTL has moved into remote sensing services with the launch of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) and an associated child company, DMC International Imaging. SSTL also adopted the Internet Protocol for the DMC satellites it builds and operates, migrating from use of the AX.25 protocol popular in amateur radio. The CLEO Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit, on board the UK-DMC satellite along with a network of payloads, takes advantage of this adoption of the Internet Protocol. The UK-DMC satellite also carries a payload investigating GPS reflectometry. SSTL is also developing a new Geostationary Minisatellite Platform-Transfer orbit variant (GMP-T) aimed at the telecommunications market under the brand name SSTL-900.
SSTL works with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and takes on a number of tasks for the UKSA that would be done in-house by a traditional large government space agency. The University sold a 10% share of SSTL to SpaceX in January 2005. It then agreed to sell its majority share (roughly 80% of the capital) to EADS Astrium in April 2008.[3] In August 2008 SSTL opened a US subsidiary.[4]
SSTL was awarded the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement in 1998, and the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2005. In 2006 SSTL won the Times Higher Education Supplement award for outstanding contribution to innovation and technology.[5] In 2009 SSTL ranked 89 out of the 997 companies that took part in the Sunday Times Top 100 companies to work for.[6]
Recent satellites and launches
- Five RapidEye satellites, successfully launched from Baikonur on 29 August 2008.
- UK-DMC 2 and Deimos-1 were launched on a Dnepr-1 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 29 July 2009.
- NigeriaSat-2 and NX satellites, successfully launched on 17 August 2011.
Satellites under construction
- VNIIEM
- Customer: NPP VNIIEM (Russia)
- Mission objective: Earth observation for agricultural and environmental monitoring
- 3 satellite platforms
- GMP (Geostationary Minisatellite Platform)
- Customer: European Space Agency & British National Space Centre
- Mission objective: Geostationary communications satellite platform baselined for a variety of missions including C, Ku, X-band
- Satellite platform: SSTL-900
- SAPPHIRE
- Customer: MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA)
- Mission objective: To provide a satellite-based Resident Space Object (RSO) observing service that will provide accurate tracking data on deep space orbiting objects. SAPPHIRE will feature a space-based data collection platform for continuous surveillance of manmade objects in medium to high Earth orbits (6,000 to 40,000 km). The data collected will be processed by a ground-based system and the results will be used to update the U.S. Satellite Catalogue that is used by both NORAD and Canada to provide space situational awareness.
- Satellite platform: SSTL-150
- EarthCARE
- Customer: Astrium GmbH
- Mission objective: As part of the Earth Observation Envelope Programme (EOEP) led by ESA to cover primary research objectives, the EarthCARE mission will be the third Earth Explorer Core Mission. The mission will be implemented in collaboration with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency who will provide one of the core instruments. The EarthCARE mission has been specifically defined with the basic objective of improving the understanding of cloud-aerosol-radiation interactions so as to include them correctly and reliably in climate and numerical weather prediction models. EarthCARE will meet these objectives by measuring simultaneously the vertical structure and horizontal distribution of cloud and aerosol fields together with outgoing radiation over all climate zones. SSTL's role in this mission is to provide a Multi Spectral Imager (MSI) Instrument by development, manufacturing, testing and operations support during Phase B/C/D/E1.[7]
- SSTL will provide the platform and services for the Russian Kanopus-B remote-sensing satellite.[8]
- SSTL has contracted to build GIOVE-A2 for the European Space Agency.
- SSTL will build the MoonLITE spacecraft if funding is secured[9]
- STRaND-1
- Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Development 1 intends to launch several new technologies for space applications and demonstration including the use of Android (operating system) open source operating system on a Smartphone.
Platforms
- SSTL-100
- SSTL 100 was used in Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). The SSTL-100 provides the core capability to carry a wide range of payloads. Active variants include SSTL-100i 32 (1st generation DMC) and SSTL-100i 22 (2nd generation DMC).
- SSTL-150
- An SSTL-100 platform with substantially improved payload capacity, improved propulsion and added high attitude agility. Active variants include SSTL-150i 4 Agile (Beijing-1),SSTL-150i 2.5 Agile and SSTL-150 RapidEye.
- SSTL-300
- SSTL 300 was designed for highly demanding applications. Very flexible configuration, capable of supporting a large spectrum of implementations, payloads and structural configurations. Current variants are optimised for optical EO (from 2.5m to sub 1m resolutions), SAR and science EO payloads. Active variants include SSTL-300i 2.5 Agile, SSTL-300i 1.0 Agile, SSTL-300i UHR, SSTL-300L and SSTL-300r.
- SSTL-900
- Low-cost communications, versatile, navigation and exploration platform. The SSTL-900 is designed for MEO, GEO, HEO and interplanetary orbits. Flight heritage achieved as Europe’s first Galileo satellite, GIOVE-A.
See also
References
- ^ SSTL Revenues and Profit Down Sharply, Peter de Selding, Space News, 15 February 2007.
- ^ How to build space satellites out of iPods, Malcolm Moore and Roger Highfield, Daily Telegraph, 29 December 2005.
- ^ EADS Astrium signs an agreement to acquire Surrey Satellite Technology Limited from the University of Surrey, press release, 7 April 2008.
- ^ Surrey Satellite Technology US opens for business, SSTL press release, 5 August 2008.
- ^ SSTL wins Times Higher award, 16 November 2006.
- ^ SSTL earn Sunday Times Award, SSTL space blog, 17 MArch 2009.
- ^ http://www.sstl.co.uk/Missions/Current_Projects
- ^ Russia places order with SSTL for satellite platform equipment, SSTL press release, 28 March 2007.
- ^ Transcript: Interview with Stuart Eves at the UK Space Conference 2008, Space.co.uk, 29 March 2008.
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