MSCI’s Role

• Prime Contractor and Systems Engineering
• Attitude Control
• Structure
• Flight and Ground Software
• Power and Instruments Electronics

Principal Investigators

• Dr. Alan Hildebrand of the University of Calgary
• Dr. Brad Wallace of Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC)

Customer — The Canadian Space Agency

Customer — The Official NEOSSat Website

Purpose — To detect and identify near-Earth asteroids, and to track satellites and debris in Earth’s orbit

Subcontractors

• Spectral Applied Research (Instrument Design & Manufacture)
• Aitech (Command & Data Handling Computer)
• AeroAstro (Satellite Radios)

Science Instrument

• Optics: 15-cm aperture f/5.88 Maksutov telescope with a 0.86 deg unvignetted FOV
• Two (2) 1024x1024 frame-transfer CCDs, focal plane passively cooled to < -40C
• External baffle to shield aperture from sunlight and Earth-reflected light
• Telescope able to detect and track satellites and debris in Earth’s orbit, as well as faint asteroids against the dark background of deep space

Microsat Bus and other technologies

• Size = 137x78x38 cm envelope, Mass = 74 kg (incl. margin)
• Orbit: 630-830 km altitude, circular, dawn/dusk sun-synch (i=98 deg, 6 PM or 6 AM ascending node)
• Attitude Control: less than 1 arcsec pointing error using a star tracker, Sun sensor, magnetometer, reaction wheels and magnetic torque rods
• Power: 45W orbit-average power, using triple junction, gallium arsenide solar arrays on all 6 sides, Lithium-ion batteries
• On-Board Computers: one Aitech S921 Command & Data Handling Computer for housekeeping operations, attitude control, and science data processing, two 80 MHz DSPs for CCD image read-out and science data processing, 2 Gbytes FLASH memory for bulk data storage
• Telemetry & Telecommand: S-band packet-protocol uplink and downlink, 4 kbps up, 2 Mbps down, Reed-Solomon/Convolutional Forward Error Correction available on downlink, CCSDS compatible.

PRODUCT ASSURANCE

MSCI applies a comprehensive approach to Product Assurance for microsatellites based upon the best of practices for all facets of full space qualified programs, but tailored to provide cost and schedule effective results for our customers. Our extensive track record of success in orbit speaks for itself.